Unplanned
by sg1cat
Summary: After Hiccup saved the people of Berk, things seemed to be going so well, but not everything goes as planned. Will Hiccup and Astrid find happiness together? Mature for copious lemons and other adult themes. Starts after the first movie. Please review! :-)
1. Chapter 1

The ice cold wind cuts across Hiccup's face as he and his sleek, black dragon race through the cold winter skies. He likes these chilled outings with Toothless, they help to clear his confused mind. So much has happened in so short a time. He had shot down a dragon after years of trying, only to find he couldn't finish the job. Then, he befriended the stricken creature, learning all that his people believed they knew about dragons was wrong. He managed to use that knowledge to earn the respect of his tribe in Dragon Training, only to lose it at the end because they didn't want to accept what he tried to show them. Afterwards, he saved his people from a monster that was actually fitting to their mistaken beliefs of the creatures' devilish nature, and along the way through all of this, he had managed to capture the attention of the girl of his dreams.

He still doesn't believe it's all real. Yet, it all is so clearly real...except for the part about the girl. She had kissed him twice, once by the lake after their first flight together, then again after he woke up from his recovery. Although Astird's kisses had left him ecstatic, the emptiness of what followed, or rather, what didn't follow, has left him wanting, empty, and confused.

A couple of days after Hiccup awoke, Astrid and her father went on a hunting trip that lasted over a week. After she came back, she was distant, aloof. For the last couple of weeks since then, she avoided him. The few times they ended up running into each other and he tried talking, the conversation had been awkward, jilted. Each time she quickly excused herself, begging off with some excuse of chores, duties to her parents, or gave no reason at all.

Toothless wheels in the clouds as Hiccup's mind whirls with confusion as he thinks about it. After she kissed him, the boy had thought things were finally going his way, that he had gotten the girl. Now it seemed to be a complete disaster.

To add to the confusion, Hiccup had many times caught Astrid watching him from afar. Whether it was while he worked at the forge, training others to fly dragons, or as went his way about town, Hiccup would often catch her staring, only for her to look hurriedly away, usually leaving after being discovered.

Hiccup scowls as he turns Toothless back toward Berk. He wants to stay out longer, hoping the cold would numb the hurt he was feeling, but his fingers are too numb to push it any further. The sun is on its way down, and he didn't want to be in the air at night, during the dead of winter. That was a good way to lose his fingers, or maybe his other foot.

Flying over the quiet town, Hiccup guides Toothless towards home. All the boy wants now is a mug of hot tea and an end to another frustrating day of being the hero who didn't get the girl. As such, he's stunned to see Astrid sitting in front of his house when he and Toothhless make their final descent. She hops up and waves at him with a big smile as the boy and his dragon pass over his house, flying around towards the back.

The dragon flaps a few times as they land, sending gusts of wind whirling about. Hiccup glances over in confusion as Astrid comes around the house from the front. His heart races with excitement while his gut churns nervously.

"Did you have a good flight?" the girl asks him eagerly with a smile as he unhooks himself from the saddle. Toothless shows his excitement to see her, bouncing over while still carrying Hiccup. The boy yelps and quickly grips the saddle with both hands to keep from falling off, causing Astrid to giggle. Hiccup dismounts, sliding off his friend's back and watching Astrid with a perplexed expression as she starts to scratch the dragon under his neck.

He tries to answer casually, but ends up stuttering in his nervousness. "I-it was a little cold, but, uh, nothing I can't handle."

*Why is she here?*, he wonders, watching with a small, reluctant grin as Toothless rubs up against her while she happily scratches him. The lizard snorts and quickly collapses into a heap with a contented purr once she finds that same spot that Hiccup had, back during Dragon Training.

"Oh, is that why your cheeks are so red?" she asks with a grin, turning her attention back to him and stepping closer to the anxious boy.

Hiccup clears his throat, shifting nervously as she smiles at him. "Red? Am I red? Really?" he asked self consciously, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he feels his cheek burning at her attention.

"A little, yeah," she answers with a giggle, watching him with amusement. Why is she giggling? Astrid doesn't giggle.

"So, uh, what brings you over?" He asks, anxious to change the topic. He then realizes how that sounds and blurts out, "not that you need a reason to come see me, I mean I'm perfectly happy to see you whenever for no reason..."

As Hiccup starts to sputter again and worries about how lame he sounds, Astrid saves him from digging himself any deeper.

"I broke a couple of straps on my saddle for Stormfly, I was hoping you could fix it for me tomorrow?" she answers his awkward question.

"Oh," Hiccup replied, trying hard to hide his disappointment. "Yeah, sure," he answers, then furrows his brow in confusion. "So why didn't you just bring it by the forge?" he asks.

"Well, I was kinda hoping you'd do it right away," she answers somewhat hesitantly, looking away from his gaze, before adding sheepishly, "I didn't want to ask you for a favor in front of everybody, I know you've got a lot of work to do with all the saddles still being made and adjusted."

Hiccup frowns slightly. He had been happy that she's talking to him, but with how much she's avoided him for the past few of weeks since he awoke, her reason makes it feel like she's only using him.

"Yeah, sure," he replies sullenly with a shrug, "bring it by first thing tomorrow, I'll take a look at it." Half turning to go, he pauses before looking back to ask, "So why the rush?"

Smiling shyly, Astrid looks down. "Well," she says, "I was kinda thinking you and I could go flying tomorrow, after it's done." She glances back up at him shyly through her bangs, "I was hoping we could get an early start, maybe spend the day out together."

Hiccup's jaw falls open as his heart races with excitement at her answer. His mind goes completely blank as he stares at her. Astrid shifts uncomfortably under his gaze, starting to blush. Looking away from him, she adds hastily, "that is, if you want to go, I mean, I can understand if you don't, it's okay..."

"No no no, I'll go!" Hiccup eagerly blurts out before he can think about it, cutting her off as he turns to face her again. Astrid stops talking, looking back at him with a slow smile blooming upon her lips. The boy immediately flushes red again, clarifying, "I mean, I'd really like to go flying with you tomorrow."

As if suddenly realizing how vulnerable she is, Astrid straightens up and nods curtly. "Good," she says in her more typical, stern voice. She hesitates, as if not sure what more to say, then adds firmly, "So, I'll see you tomorrow morning at the forge."

Hiccup nods, smiling happily at her. "First thing," he tells her.

Astrid nods again, then moves to go, her way taking her near Hiccup again. She pauses as she starts to walk by him, her shoulder nearly touching his. The boy watches her with a confused gaze as she clenches her jaw. He then gasps in surprise when she quickly leans in and kisses him chastly on the lips.

The world spins as he feels her press against him, his eyes closing with a wimper.

Astrid pulls back just as fast, looking into his eyes with an anxious stare and a shy smile. Opening his eyes again, Hiccup marvels at the sight of her blushing. Astrid never blushes.

"See you tomorrow," she mutters hurriedly as she tucks her hair behind her ear, then looks away, sprinting off back around Hiccup's house. The boy glances back at Toothless with an excited expression. The resting dragon only tilts his head and makes a confused sound.

Smiling with a goofy grin, Hiccup dashes around the house as quickly as he can, hobbling on his artificial leg. As he clears the building, he could see Astrid as she jogs down the hill. He then notices his father coming up the other way. The boy furrows his brow as he sees the mountain of a man stop her in her tracks by virtue of being in the way, calling out a greeting with a loud voice.

Hiccup can't quite make out what they say, but the blonde answers the chief's salutation. The large man smiles as he answers her, then Astrid runs off while saying a few last words in reply, the two waving at each other as Hiccup's father starts up the hill again.

"Hello, son!" the bulky warrior greets his son upon coming within shouting distance, which isn't very far from where he started walking again.

"Hey, Dad," the boy calls back, waving weakly. "So, what were you and Astrid talking about?" He asks, unable to resist his curiosity.

"Oh, I was jes asking what brought her here," he answers with a wide grin as he crested the hill.

"What'd she say?" Hiccup asks anxiously, immediately feeling silly.

"What, ya don' know already? She was jes' here," the big man answers with a chuckle, clapping the boy on his back. "So yer goin flying with the lass tomorrah, eh?" he asks in a conspiratorial whisper with a knowing grin as the two of them walk back inside.

"Yeah," Hiccup answers nervously. Talking with his Dad always made him uncomfortable, and now that the subject was girls - especially THIS girl - he was douby so. "She needs me to fix her saddle first, then she wants to go flying together."

"Well there ya go, lad!" Stoic booms excitedly as he takes off his helmet, hanging it on a well worn hook by the door. The two had talked about Astrid's apparent lack of interest since her hunting trip after the boy had woken up. "See?! I tol' ya she'd come around!"

"Yeah, I guess," his son answers hesitantly, sitting down on a bench.

Stoic sighs heavily. His son certainly knew how worry about even the best bit of good fortune. "What's wrong, son?" The large Viking asks with a weary voice, his exasperation readily showing.

"Well, why did she wait this long?" Hiccup asks with a frustrated whine. "It's been weeks since she kissed me! Why has she been so distant?"

The large man chuckles at his son. "Ah, m'boy," he tells him. "Women're mysterious, fickle creatures! Ya'll be much more happy if ya don' try make sense of their motives..."

Hiccup frowns. "That's not helping, you know," he replies with an exasperated tone.

"Well what d'ya want, son?" His father chuckles. "She's come around, it'll be fine tomorrow, ye'll see!"

The boy doesn't share in his father's optimism, but he realizes he'd gain nothing by arguing the point. "Sure, Dad, I bet you're right," he answers in his typically sardonic manner.

"That's the spirit, son!" Stoic answers enthusiastically, missing the biting sarcasm, as usual.

Hiccup rolls his eyes and then slips into a yawn and a stretch. "Well, I guess I'll just go get some shut eye," he says. "Big day tomorrow, ya know..."

Stoic nods eagerly as Hiccup makes his way across the room, "Right, right, you get yer rest, and have fun with Astrid tomorrow!" A pause, then he adds while his boy starts hobbling up the stairs, "well, not too much fun..."

Hiccup stops in his tracks to stare back at his father with wide eyes.

"Dad!"

Stoic just laughs at his Son's reaction. Hiccup looks away and tries to hurry the rest of the way up the stairs.

Parents could be so awkward!


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup awakes at dawn the next morning, feeling more nervous than he had before his first real flight with Toothless. That experience had been both terrifying and exhilarating, but seems now to pale in comparison to the potential of what today promises to hold for him.

Dashing down the stairs with an awkward gait due to his leg, Hiccup grabs some dried venison to eat on the way to the forge. He didn't know how early Astrid intended to be in meeting him, but he didn't want to keep the girl waiting.

The village is predictably empty as the boy makes his way through the streets, chewing on his breakfast while hobbling hastily towards the forge. A few roosters start to crow as the sun peaks over the horizon. His bad leg bothers him in the morning cold, making the journey uncomfortable, but he ignores it. The nervousness churning in his gut drives him to a near run. He feels ridiculous, that he just might be a fool for going this early to wait for her. Normally, the forge didn't open for business until at least a couple of hours after dawn.

As he turns the last corner before the forge, Hiccup halts in surprise, stumbling a little on his artificial leg when he looks across the way to see Astrid appear, turning a corner on the other side of their mutual destination. The girl was jogging while carrying her dragon saddle, but then stops short as her gaze falls upon him with wide eyes. It's hard to tell, being so far away in the early post-dawn light, but Hiccup is sure that he sees her cheeks flush a bright red.

The two teenagers look at each other in shock, neither willing to move first. Astrid clutches the saddle to her, while Hiccup shifts his weight nervously. He still finds that balancing with his new foot can be a bit tricky, especially in the early morning when he was still stiff and the air was yet cold.

Finally, Astrid sets her jaw and strides forward, clutching her saddle to her. Hiccup swallows and immediately follows suit, hobbling forward to meet her. The two watch each other intently as the distance narrows, until at last they stand together in front of the blacksmith shop. Hiccup looks at her quietly, noting that she's wearing just a plain cloth skirt, instead of her typically armored one. He wonders why, as the two watch each other in awkward silence for a while.

"Hi," Hiccup finally greets her, his gut churning nervously.

"Hi," Astrid replies with a slightly anxious voice, glancing at him with a shy gaze.

The two keep trying to look at each other in the nervous silence, blushing as they both look away whenever they make eye contact.

"Soooo…you're here early," he hesitantly comments.

"I wasn't sure what time you opened the forge," she answers with a hint of defensiveness as her cheeks color a shade of red. "You're here just as early, so obviously I was right."

He grins, meeting her gaze as she watches him indignantly. Astrid then looks at him thoughtfully and asks, "but what about you, Hiccup?" He looks confused and she lifts an eyebrow, challenging him, "do you always start work this early?"

Hiccup falters, sputtering a little as he answers, "ahm, well, uh, yeah! Of course! I mean, there's lots to do, ya know?"

Astrid smirks at his answer, clearly reading the truth in his eyes. Now it was Hiccup's turn to blush, clearing his throat as he starts to rub the back of his neck while watching her anxiously. "Yeap! Lots of saddles to fit and repair, nothing but busy, busy, busy!"

Astrid's expression falls a little at his comment, and Hiccup immediately feels bad for bringing it up. "Yeah, sorry about this," she starts to say, shifting the saddle guiltily in her hands.

"No no no! It's okay!" he blurts anxiously, cutting her off. She looks at him in surprise at his outburst. "I mean, we can't fly together until I fix your saddle, right?" he asks with a slight grin.

Astrid smiles shyly again at his reply and answers, "Yeah, that'll be pretty fun." Their eyes meet as they share an nervous smile, the both of them blushing. Neither spoke for a while, the silence growing thick.

"So, um, here's my saddle," Astrid suddenly blurts, pushing the heavy leather equipment into his arms. Hiccup grunts and stumbles a little bit, having difficulty with his false leg, wincing as his stump throbs a little at the additional pressure.

"Sorry!" Astrid cringes, looking on with a guilty expression, half reaching for him as if worried he was going to topple over.

"It's okay!" he assures her, waving a hand as best he can while he manages to recover his balance. Hefting her saddle, he forces a smile. "Let's get this fixed, so we can go."

Astrid nods with an embarrased smile as he walks towards the door. He fumbles with the latch while hefting the saddle, looking back at her with an awkward smile. Astrid giggles silently, covering her mouth as she watches him with adoring eyes, which only causes the boy to blush as he struggles. The latch finally releases with a metalic jingle, and Hiccup looks back at the door to push it open.

The girl hesitates at the doorway as he walks in. Hiccup makes his way into the cold and dark forge, dropping the heavy leather onto a table. Taking a deep breath, he looks around for Astrid, a smile playing upon his lips when he sees her waiting at the door.

"You can come in, you know," he tells her with an amused voice, watching as she blushes again.

"Oh…yeah. Thanks," she says simply, awkwardness written across her face as she slowly walks into the room, looking around at the various weapons, saddles, and smithing tools. Hiccup turns with a grin and hefts the saddle, spreading it out on the table. "So where're the broken straps?" He asks with a suddenly business like tone, looking over the leather assembly with a critical eye.

Hiccup had, of course, designed and made all of the dragon saddles for the various breeds, even going as far as to start customizing them for individual riders and dragons. He always hated it when his equipment broke, since as often as not in these yet early days of tame dragons, it was because of a design flaw. Riders' lives were dependent upon his creations, he couldn't afford to be Hiccup the Screw-up anymore.

Hiccup's question draws Astrid's attention back from eyeing the assortment of items hanging on the wall. "Oh, it's right here," she answers eagerly, quickly walking to the table in an attempt to point out the damage. As she does, Hiccup turns to look at her, inadvertantly moving into her path. She bumps into him, knocking the boy backwards as his balance was shifting to his prosthetic. He yelps in panic at the sensation of falling, waving his arms about him.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cries out in alarm as she reflexively grabs his forearms to keep him from falling. Her rescue is so aggressive that she inadvertently pulls him to her, causing his body to bump heavily against hers. Hiccup grabs her waist as he struggles to stay upright, trying to keep from knocking her over in the process.

The two teens look at each other with wide eyes as they suddenly find themselves face to face while embracing tightly, their breath coming in heavy gulps. Astrid's grip tightens about Hiccup's forearms as she feels the warmth of his thin body pressed against hers. He isn't bulky, but she can still feel the firm, lean muscles of his frame, the result of his many hours of dragon riding. She flushes a deep red as she stares into his eyes, her heart pounding in her chest.

For his part, Hiccup can't put a single thought together. He has the girl of his dreams snuggly wrapped in his arms, and by the look on her face, she is just as amazed by this sudden turn of events as he is. He can feel her curves pressed against him, her quickened breath warming his neck and face, her heart racing along with his. Involuntarily, his hands tighten upon her waist as he feels her grip his forearms firmly.

Neither one of them move, the seconds that tick by seem like hours. Hiccup barely breathes, for fear of breaking whatever magical enchantment was keeping this angel in his arms. He wants nothing more than to kiss her, but is terrified at the prospect. The boy looks at her with wide eyes, swallowing heavily as he tries to muster the courage. Astrid watches him with an anxious gaze, biting her lip.

In spite of everything that had happened, Hiccup can't bring himself to do it. The fear of rejection is too great. His gaze falls from hers as he starts to release her.

Astrid's tightens her grip on his forearms, holding his hands right where they are on her waist. Hiccup looks back up at her in shock, meeting her gaze just before she leans in to kiss him passionately, her lips pressing hungrily against his as he yelps against her mouth with surprise. Hiccup hesitates only for a moment before kissing back ferverently, again gripping her waist firmly.

Astrid moans weakly against his lips as he suddenly and passionately returns the kiss. The three times she had kissed him previously, he had been too surprised to do anything. Now, his lips press firmly against hers, making her whole body heat up and flush with excitement at his eagerness as she simply melts inside. She slides her hands up his arms, caressing his neck and face. Her fingers glide through his hair and then she wraps her arms about his neck, deepening the kiss, her tongue pushing its way between his lips.

Hiccup whimpers as Astrid kisses him more intimately, his knees going weak as she leans into him, pushing him back against the table. His arms wrap tightly about her waist, pulling her slim form snugly against him as his tongue entwines with hers. The two teens kiss with wild abandon, pressing up again each other as they lose themselves in the moment.

"Well, it's about time you two got on with that!"

Hiccup and Astrid jump apart at the sound of Gobber's voice. Both flush a deep red, looking over with wide eyes at the grinning smith as he hobbles into the shop.

"Gobber!" Hiccup exclaims nervously as he glances over at Astrid, sharing a guilty glance with her, the both of them blushing all the more as their gazes briefly meet and then quickly break apart. "W-w-what're you doing here?" he asks, looking back at the smith.

"Well, it's only my shop, isn't it?" The large man replies, "So why would I be here…?"

"I mean, why are you here so early?" Hiccup amends.

"Well someone's got to light the forge for the day," he answers as he sets about that very business, leaving Hiccup feeling like an idiot. Though he almost never came in early enough to do it, the boy knows well enough that the forge needed to be lit a couple hours before business started in order to get the furnace hot enough before opening.

"Obviously you're too busy to do it, so I guess that leaves me." Gobber grins with his typically sarcastic tone upon he sees Hiccup's frown, then adds, "I'd ask what you two are doing here, but that's pretty obvious…"

The two teens both look all the more guilty at Gobber's jibe. Astrid clears her throat, attempting to look him in the eye. "I…I brought my saddle over for Hiccup to fix," she starts to say, until Gobber interrupts her.

"Oh, is that a new way to fix saddles, Hiccup?" The smith asks with a wide grin, chuckling at the sight of the teens squirming awkwardly. Astrid turns an even brighter red and looks down, snapping her mouth shut.

Gobber chuckles and waves his claw at the two, turning to see about the forge. "Go ahead and fix 'er saddle, Hiccup." His apprentice nods anxiously, half turning back to the workbench, but then turns back to the smith.

"Uhm, Gobber?" he starts off hesitantly as the large man glances back at him with a raised eyebrow. Clearing his throat, Hiccup continues nervously, "would you mind if I took the rest of the day off, after that?"

"Oh? Now why would you be wanting that?" he asks knowingly.

"I…I invited him to go flying with me after he fixed my saddle," Astrid interjects meekly, blushing even more than before.

The smith smirks at the two. He says nothing for a moment, letting the two squirm under his gaze. Neither can look him in the eye.

"Be off with ya," he says with a chuckle, turning away to tend to the forge.

The teens breathe a sigh of relief, turning back to the saddle, when Gobber adds, "have fun, you two…but not too much fun!"


	3. Chapter 3

Hiccup and Astrid cringe at Gobber's jibe, both choosing to say nothing, lest they encourage the salty smith to further torment them. Instead, they turn their attention to the saddle spread out on the table.

"So, uh, where was the damage again?" Hiccup asks Astrid as she steps close to him, having put a fair bit of space between them when Gobber had interrupted just before. "I didn't quite see where you were pointing when I asked the first time," Hiccup adds with a grin, making Astrid smirk at him.

"Can't imagine why that would be," she quips, meeting his gaze as she leans into him a little bit.

"You two are never going to finish fixing her saddle if you keep that up," Gobber calls over, causing the two to flush deeply and look away from each other.

"It's, uhm, here," she quickly says, pointing at a couple of the straps used to secure the saddle to the dragon. Each is cut off near the base, the edges jagged.

"How did that happen?" Hiccup asks incredulously.

"Stormfly chewed on them," Astrid said matter-of-factly. Hiccup glances over at her with a lifted eyebrow. "I…I might have been teasing her with them," she admits sheepishly.

"Seriously?" he grins wryly at her, hobbling over to a part of the workshop where long strips of leather hung. "Didn't you think she might do this to your saddle when you taunted her?"

Astrid's only answer is to smile enigmatically and shrug, meeting Hiccup's gaze while he walks back to the bench with the replacement straps. The boy furrows his brow. She simply smiles all the more as she hops up on the table to sit, watching him knowingly.

Hiccup shrugs with a sigh as he starts to work on the saddle. Wordlessly he cuts open the seams that hold the torn ends of the damaged straps, removing the ruined leather, and sets about replacing them with the new strips that he cuts to length. The longer he works in silence, the more uncomfortable he gets.

"So…you're quiet," he says Astrid, looking over his shoulder at her.

The girl shrugs, "I like watching you work," she says simply, still smiling at him mysteriously. Hiccup furrows his brow, confused by her answer, but continues once he realizes he's not getting anymore insight from her.

He focuses on the task at hand, trying to ignore the lovely blonde who seems enraptured by his performing such a simple task. Still, he finds it hard to focus while he threads the oversized needle with the heavy thread needed to sew the leather back together. Astrid had avoided him for several weeks, yet now she was here in the forge with him, happy to simply watch him work and to be in his presence.

There was also the matter of their kiss. It made her previous three kisses pale in comparison.

The sudden change bothers him, though he finds comfort in the fact that she wants to go flying with him after he fixed her saddle.

With a heavy sigh, he tries to push that all from his mind as he sets to sewing in the new straps. After a few minutes, Astrid asks suddenly, "So…has your father talked with you about marriage contracts?"

Hiccup spears his finger on the heavy needle at Astrid's unexpected question, his jaw hanging half open. "Ah, uhm…yeah, a little," he admits after sucking on his wounded finger for a moment.

"What's he been looking at?" she asks, an edge of nervousness in her voice.

"Nothing specific," Hiccup answers, trying to sound casual while attempting to focus on his leatherwork. He glances nervously at Astrid. She's watching him with a penetrating stare, but looks down at his gaze. He quickly goes back to his work while elaborating, "Before last month, he was toying with the idea of an alliance with another tribe, but now that everything's changed, he's not so keen on the idea."

He glances back over at Astrid who nods in understanding. The changes that Hiccup had brought to their village had been incredible for their own people, but also had already caused discord with the other settlements, who were not so eager to embrace the new ways of Berk. As such, the prospect of any alliances were becoming remote, since no other village was willing to entertain the notion of being friendly with dragons.

In fact, Berk was quickly become something of a pariah community, growing in its isolation from the other Viking tribes.

"What…what about you?" He asks the girl nervously, pointedly keeping his eyes on his work as he continues his stitching.

Astrid sighs in frustration, hesitating before she answers vaguely, "My Dad's… been looking at a few options, but he hasn't decided on anything yet."

Hiccup nods, trying to hide the mix of concern and excitement he feels. He would like nothing more than for his father to sign marriage contract with Mr Hofferson. The idea of wedding Astrid is beyond his wildest dreams, and now something that actually almost seems maybe attainable.

Astrid says nothing more on the topic. Hiccip stays silent, being too nervous to pry any further.

It's not long before he's finished the work, tying off the last of the stitches with a sharp tug, then cutting the heavy cord with a short knife that was sitting on the table.

"Done!" he proclaims enthusiastically, tugging on each of the four ends of the two straps, showing how sturdy the replacements are.

Astrid smiles widely, hopping off the table to admire his handiwork. "It looks great, Hiccup," she says as she likewise tugs at the leather, nodding appreciatively. "I feel safer already." She looks at him, hesitating before adding, "you really do fantastic work. I don't just mean this fix, but the whole saddle. It's amazing."

The young blacksmith's apprentice smiles shyly, suddenly feeling self conscious about her compliments. He clears his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's nothing, really," he says with a shrug, "just some simple leatherwork and a bit of smithing for the wire frame to support it," he says, avoiding her gaze bashfully

"Don't let him fool ya, lass," Gobber interjects from across the smithy as he picks up a damaged axe, drawing the gaze of the two teens. "There's nuthin' simple about those saddles that Hiccup created. He's really out done himself this time," he says with a grin and a sideways glance at the two before he goes back to fixing the axe in his tongs. The smith spent most of time working on damaged weapons, since Hiccup was still teaching him how the saddles worked. That left the bulk of the saddle creation and repair to Hiccup, though Gobber was picking up more tasks as time went on.

Astrid looks over at Hiccup with a smirk as the boy clears his throat again, glaring slightly at Gobber. The boy was still adjusting to the idea that everyone suddenly thought his creativity and inventions were the greatest thing since Odin defeated the Frost Giants, and not a series of disasters waiting to happen.

Astrid smiles all the more, touching Hiccup's arm. His gaze quickly abandons the smith, focusing instead on the fair blonde in front of him. "He's right, Hiccup," the girl encourages him with a wide smile as he meets her gaze. "Your saddles really are amazing."

The boy watches her with a guarded gaze, still trying to reconcile the distance she had set between them with all of the attention that she's suddenly lavishing on him now. Astrid hesitates at his cool reaction, reluctantly withdrawing her hand as she turns away from him, her cheeks burning.

Hiccup happens to glance over at Gobber, who's looking at him like he's crazy. He makes a gesture as if to say, 'what are you, daft?!' and suddenly Hiccup realizes how foolish he's being.

"Soooo, Astrid," he begins, boldly reaching out to touch her arm. She hesitantly looks back over at him, surprised at the contact. "Now that I'm done fixing your saddle, how about we go on that ride you promised me yesterday?" he asks with a wide smile, lifting his eyebrows. She lights up at his words, the smile returning to her lips.

"That sounds wonderful," she answers, meeting his gaze. Hiccup's heart skips a beat as they look into each other's eyes.

Hiccup hefts her saddle up, intending to carry it all the way to her house for her. Instead, she takes it out of his hands, smiling at him. "Thanks, Hiccup," she says simply, as if he had intended to hand it to her.

He furrows his brow, but then shrugs it off as she starts to lead him out of the shop. "See you tomorrow, Gobber," Hiccup waves to his mentor as the two teens leave.

"Be good, you two," he warns as he picks up another weapon that's in need of repair. "But…not too good," he adds with a chuckle, winking at the two blushing teens who hustle out of the shop before he has yet another chance to embarrass them.

As the pair step outside, the sun is well over the horizon and the streets are now starting to fill with people as they go about their daily business. Hiccup tries to walk closely with Astrid, though her fast pace makes it difficult, especially with his bad leg.

"So, uhm," he begins, causing her to pause and look back at him. "should I come with you to your place? I can help you fit your saddle to Stormfly," he says with a nervous smile.

"No, that's okay," she tells him with a reserved smile, glancing around the street quickly. "How about we just go get our dragons and meet out at Deadman's Peak?" she asks hastily, referring to one of the old towers that had been used to watch for incoming dragon raids, before Hiccup changed everything.

"Uhm, yeah, sure," Hiccup answers, nodding hesitantly at Astrid's suddenly reserved demeanor. "Sooo, I'll see you up there in a few minutes?" he asks with a measure of worry in his voice.

Astrid looks about her once more before she nods. "Sounds good," she says, quickly meeting his gaze with a tight smile. Hiccup steps closer in hopes of kissing her, but the blonde warrior turns on her heel without another word and quickly heads off the way she came.

Hiccup watches her with a puzzled frown, now feeling more upset and confused than he had yesterday during his flight with Toothless. He ponders his options for a couple of moments, but then shrugs his shoulders with a sigh, turning to make his way home to prepare Toothless for their ride.

* * *

The wind blows fierce and cold, biting Hiccup's cheeks as he sits on the outcropping of rock next to the stone tower that looms behind him on Deadman's Peak. The teen picks up yet another stone and tosses it off into the abyss in angry frustration.

He'd been waiting for Astrid for quite some time now, feeling increasingly like a fool the longer he waited. He really didn't know why he thought that things were getting better since yesterday. Astrid had needed a favor, and she had conned him out of it with a little affection and a promise that she never intended to keep. Now, here he sits like an idiot, waiting in vain for her to show up.

Sighing heavily, he stands and hobbles over to Toothless, who had curled up in his own bout of frustration. The dragon lifted his head at Hiccup's approach. His boy had landed him almost right after their takeoff, when the dragon had expected a proper flight. Instead, they simply flew to this far point on the island and sat in silence. He could sense that his boy was upset, and for the life of him, he couldn't imagine why. The sky was clear and perfect for flying, what more could he need?

"Oh, Toothless, why am I such an idiot?" he rhetorically asks the dragon as he rubs the sleek creature's neck. Tootheless warbles in response, standing and stretching as he leans into Hiccup's rubbing hand. "Yeah, let's go, buddy," he says with a heavy sigh, moving to mount his dragon, who suddenly turns his head to look up at something behind the boy.

"Hiccup!" Astrid's voice calls out as he feels the whoosh of air from Stormfly landing behind him. The smith's apprentice turns to see the blonde girl waving frantically with one hand while gripping her newly repaired saddle with her other hand to keep her from falling off as the blue dragon lands a little roughly.

The boy looks on in surprise at her sudden appearance, his disappointment instantly churning into a confused mixture of excitement and anger.

Stormfly doesn't quite finish her landing before Astrid leaps off of her back, dashing over to tackle Hiccup in a tight hug, pressing her lips tightly against his.

The frustrated boy cries out in surprise as her charge pushes him back against Toothless, who tilts his head and rumbles in confusion. Hiccup loses himself in her kiss for a moment, unable to resist the siren's call of her lips and the seductive feel of her shapely body pressed against his. He grips her hips in his hands for a moment, lingering before he pushes her away, breaking the kiss a little forcefully.

"What's wrong?" she asks, looking genuinely confused.

"Astrid, what's going on?" he asks, frustrated and bitter.

"What do you mean?" she asks, looking concerned now.

"You said that we'd meet in a few of minutes, that was like over an hour ago!" he exclaims as his anger starts to boil again.

Astrid scowls at his outburst, furrowing her brow as she glares back at him. "Well, sorry!" she barks back in a way that doesn't sound at all apologetic. "My parents made me do a few chores before I was able to escape, or I would have been here right away!" She looks furious now, which only serves to increase Hiccup's ire.

"Astrid, y-you can't do this! You can't just go back and forth from kissing me to ignoring me for weeks, then kissing me again, then blowing me off again…" He chokes back any further words, his throat tightening with emotion as he turns away, clenching his fists.

Hiccup tenses as he expects her to erupt again in fury, but is surprised by her silence. Turning back, he's shocked that she's looking at him with a saddened, crestfallen expression.

"I know," she says simply, hugging herself as she meets his gaze with a pleading expression. "I'm…I'm sorry," she says with an anxious voice.

"What?! Y-You know?" Hiccup proclaims, watching her in disbelief. Astrid never apologized. Moreover, she knew she had been hurting him? "Then…but, why…?!"

Astrid cuts him off, "Hiccup, I'll explain everything to you, just not here," she says urgently, looking above as if she expected a dragon to attack, like in the old days.

"What!?" Hiccup asks in a loud and frustrated tone, now very confused.

"Please," the blonde pleads, taking a step towards him, flinching when he takes a step back. "Let's…let's just go on our flight. There's someplace I want to take you. We can talk there…" Hiccup hesitates, watching her warily.

"Please?" She asks again, her voice even more plaintive.

The battle rages within Hiccup, but the sight of Astrid nearly in tears and begging for his understanding pierces his heart.

"Fine," he says with a heavy sigh, turning to mount Toothless. The dragon watches his boy climb aboard, looking between him and the girl as she mounts the Nadder. The sleek black dragon couldn't fathom why the two were fighting so when they seemed clearly interested in mating, but then, so much of the customs of people were strange to him.

Astrid looks over at Hiccup as she secures herself to her saddle, half worried that he would change his mind and just leave her. Instead, he latches himself to Toothless and looks over at her, waiting with a stern expression. The blonde swallows with difficulty, then urges Stormfly up into the air. She looks back nervously, breathing a sigh of relief as Hiccup and Toothless follow her. She looks forward anxiously, steeling herself for what's to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Hiccup follows behind Astrid as she leads the way from Deadman's Peak. His mind swirls with confusion as he ponders what's happening, his heart churning with a mix of emotions. He tries to ignore his feelings as they soar to their secret destination, only paying half attention as they fly further and further away from Berk, crossing over open waters and several other islands.

Finally, Astrid dives down on Stormfly towards an island a little ways off from all of the others, which seems no different than the rest, just a series of looming piles of rocks jutting out from the frigid ocean. Hiccup and Toothless follow behind her, the boy furrowing his brow in curious confusion as he sees her land on a short beach with a particularly massive rock structure.

As he lands behind her, Hiccup watches the girl lead Stormfly over the small beach to the rocks. He blinks in surprise as he realizes that the structure is actually a huge cave, which Astrid and her dragon then enter. Hiccup hesitates for a moment before dismounting and following suit.

The inside of the cave is nothing if not beautiful. Its vaulted walls are made of gleaming rocks, partly covered with glistening green moss, which combine to catch and reflect the sunlight filtering in through a small hole above. The ceiling is a lofty dome stretching up above the soft sands below. Hiccup finds it difficult to walk through the sand with his peg leg, but he manages to trudge forward, urged on by his need to hear what Astrid has to tell him.

"So why here?" he asks, his voice echoing through the large cavern.

"Because it's hidden," Astrid answers, still facing away from him. Hiccup scowls, his confusion and frustration only growing. What, was she ashamed to be seen with him?

"Okay, Astrid," he says with a frustrated voice as he approaches her, still having difficulty with his false leg in the sand, "what's going on?"

Astrid turns to look at him, her face full of emotion. She's not quite crying, but she's close. Hiccup is taken aback, halting in his tracks. He's never seen such a display from the girl, in all the years he's known her. The sight softens the edges of his anger, but he still seethes inside at the way she's treated him.

"Hiccup, you have to understand, this wasn't my choice," she pleads, taking a step towards him.

He furrows his brow, still very confused. "What wasn't your choice?" he asks.

"Staying away from you," she says simply, causing him to blink in surprise.

"What?" he asks, trying to figure out where this is going.

"Do you remember that hunting trip my father took me on, just after you woke up?" she asks, referring to his recovery after their fight with the Green Death.

He hesitates at her words, furrowing his brow as he thinks it through. "Sure," the boy nods as he starts to see where this might be going. It was no secret that Astrid's father didn't much like Stoic, but Hiccup had never thought that the man would let that affect his decisions regarding his daughter. He waited anxiously for Astrid to confirm his new suspicions.

"The only reason we went on that trip was because I kissed you front of the whole village that day," she says, unable to hold his gaze now as she looks down at the sand beneath their feet. "He took me off to the mainland to hunt, so that we could talk alone. He told me a lot of things, but most of all he said that under no circumstances was I to see you again."

Hiccup breathed a heavy sigh as her words hit him, suddenly making sense of everything. His anger melted away like the mountain snows in the spring, only to be replaced by fear. Astrid was one of the most intense, stubborn, and strongwilled people that Hiccup knew, but he could never imagine that she would cross her father.

Thorsten Hofferson was not a man to be trifled with. He would have been chief if it weren't for Stoic, and he still had many friends within the tribe who thought that _he_ should lead, not Hiccup's father. It was only through the triumverate of Stoic, Gobber, and Snoutlout's father, Vali Jorgenson, that the peace had been maintained and Thorsten was kept in check.

But everyone knew that he still lusted after power. He was a violent, viscious man, with little mercy in him. The way he raised his daughter was a testimony to his outlook on life. His wife was the complete opposite, a sweet and caring woman. She was proabably the only reason Astrid wasn't like her father.

The girl standing before Hiccup continues, "he told me that you were a lousy match for me, that you and Stoic had weakened the tribe by befriending the dragons. He said that he would find me a better match in one of the other villages, so that I could live a life with honor and follow the old ways." There's more than a trace of sarcasm in her voice now, tinged with bitterness. Hiccup swallows heavily as his heart contracts with fear at her words. He silently listens, hanging on her every word, watching her with worry and concern.

"I tried to be a good daughter," she says, wringing her hands. "I tried to honor my father's wishes, even though it tore me apart inside." She looks at him with a pleading stare, meeting his gaze intently.

"Astrid," Hiccup breathes with a heavy heart, taking a step towards her.

"But I don't care anymore," she says, suddenly looking down again. "I tried to stay away from you, Hiccup. I tried so hard. But I can't do it." She closes her eyes tightly, squeezing out tears as she shakes her head. "I can't stay away from you anymore."

"Astrid," Hiccup tries again to interject, taking another two steps to her, but she cuts him off once more, her voice shaking as she holds back further tears.

"Hiccup, I know I've treated you badly and I have no right to ask anything of you, but…"

Hiccup quickly hobbles forward to close the distance between them, wrapping her up in his arms. She gasps in surprise at the contact as he holds her to him, then presses herself against him. A heavy sob wracks her body as she buries her face into his shoulder.

"Astrid, don't even talk like that," he says against her cheek, pressing her to him as she slowly starts to fall apart in his arms. His brain doesn't know how to process this. Astrid Hofferson, the toughest girl he knows, is crying like a newborn babe in his arms, all because she was afraid of losing him when she didn't even quite have him yet. All he knows to do is hold her tightly as she sobs, stroking her hair as he presses his lips to her cheek.

To think he was afraid she didn't like him.

He chuckles at the irony of it all. "You have to know I'm completely in love with you, right?" he whispers in her ear before he knows what he's doing. Astrid's sobbing suddenly stops as Hiccup freezes, his stomach lurching while time stops. His whole body tenses up as he realizes what he just confessed to her.

He feels like a fool.

She doesn't move for the space of several ragged breaths. Hiccup's insides twist all the more as he fears what she'll say next.

"What…" she pauses, swallowing heavily. "What did you say?" she whispers against his neck, her voice raw with emotion. She pulls back enough to look at him with wide, red-rimmed eyes while staying within his arms, her hands resting upon his chest. He can feel her trembling against him.

Hiccup stares back into her eyes, his gut churning with sickening anxiety. His whole body shakes as he tries to speak.

"I…I said," he pauses as his voice cracks. Stopping to clear his throat, he closes his eyes as he tries to muster his courage. He draws a deep breath, then opens his eyes to look at her.

"I said I love you."

She stares into his eyes for less than a breath more before she grabs his collar and pulls him to her, kissing him deeply with a frantic passion. Hiccup's heart jumps into his throat as she does, his whole body bursting with joy and excitement and relief as he feels her lips pressing firmly against his.

He quickly responds as she invades his mouth with the force of a conquering army, his tongue meeting and wrestling with hers. Her kisses are as demanding as her personality. The skinny lad feels overwhelmed, intoxicated.

He's never been happier in his life.

Before he knows what's happening, Astrid is pulling him down into the sand, her lips still ravishing his as she lays back beneath him. Hiccup's mind spins dizzily when she wraps her arms about his neck, holding his lips to hers as she spreads her legs, pulling him more snugly against her body.

Hiccup's head swims as their bodies press together. He moans into the kiss as he feels his stiff erection press firmly against the soft warmth of her crotch. As she kisses him hungrily, she lifts her hips against him, adding pressure. Unable to resist, he starts to rock his hips against hers, grinding his hardness against her body. She moans throatily into his mouth as she kisses him all the more eagerly, her arms tightening about his neck.

His pulse surges and he starts to feel overwhelmed as he worries about where she was taking this.

"Astrid," he says against her lips, trying to pull back while she struggles to keep him close.

"Mmmph," is her only response as she kisses him deeply. She rolls her hips against his, encouringing him to grind against her once more, which he readily does without thinking about it. He can't help but kiss back for a while, continuing to rock his hips against hers, stroking his length against her willing body as the girl beneath him moans softly with the motions of his hips against her. Feeling overwhelmed again, he pulls back more forcefully this time, breaking the kiss and looking into her eyes.

"Astrid, we shouldn't…" he starts to say again, but she interrupts him.

"I love you, Hiccup," she says passionately, staring back at him with the heat of the sun. His eyes grow wide and his voice falls silent at her words. He closes his eyes and swallows heavily as the emotions pour over him. Astrid smiles sweetly as she looks upon his face, her one hand moving to stroke his cheek. He leans into her touch, whimpering softly.

"I love you," she repeats forcefully in a husky whisper.

Whatever resolve Hiccup had crumbles at the words he's wanted to hear from her for so long. He opens his eyes to look at her, taking in the sight of her beautiful visage as she stares up at him, her eyes still red-rimmed with her tears from before though she now smiles happily, her hand still caressing his cheek.

He leans in and kisses her, his tongue delving between her welcoming lips. She greets him eagerly, wrapping her arms tightly about his neck once more and wrapping her legs snugly about his waist, pulling him closer against her crotch while rolling her hips again. He matches her rhythm, grinding his length against her tenderness, drawing another throaty moan from her and this time he groans along with her. Astrid slides her hands down his body until she reaches his breeches, which she starts to tug at desperately.

Hiccup's reason again surfaces as he feels her thumbs hooking inside of the fabric, touching his skin as she tries to free him of his clothes, causing his heart to surge. In spite of himself, he's very thankful for her lack of success as he tries to regain his willpower.

"Astrid we shouldn't…" he murmers against her lips as she reaches between them, her hand stroking over his length, pressing it firmly against his body. "Oh Gods," he murmers and with that he again loses all capacity for logical thought, instead moaning huskily against the girl's lips as she pulls him down to her and kisses him passionately once more, sighing happily when he relents.

Astrid then rolls him over onto his back, continuing to rub his erection with one hand while also undoing the laces in the front of his breeches with the other. As he feels his garment being losened, he starts to protest again, but before he can even form a word, Astrid's hand slips inside, her cool fingers playing with his stiff length. He breaks the kiss to gasp loudly, the noise echoing through the cavernous chamber as he grips her thigh.

Astrid smiles widely as she sits up to kneel upon his legs while she nervously explores, watching him intently, her heart pounding in her chest. She hesitates, then pulls his breeches down further, revealing his penis to her. Hiccup swallows as he feels the cold air hit him below the waist, shivering as her fingers continue to lightly play with him. The girl straddling him looks down at his smooth length with with wide eyes as she traces her fingers from the base up to the purplish head, breathing heavily as she lightly gently caresses him.

Hiccup stares up at her in a daze, overwhelmed by what she's doing, feeling positively lightheaded. She looks back at him with a deep blush on her cheeks, as if she's equally astounded by her own boldness. It looks to him like she's trembling. The two teens stare at each other as she caresses him, her fingers gliding touching him more and more with each movement as the both of them breathe heavily.

He watches with amazement as Astrid lifts herself up and starts to push down her own skirt and leggings with her free hand, her gaze never leaving his.

"Astrid," he starts to protest, grabbing her wrist.

In answer, her fingers wrap fully around his shaft as she takes him completely in her hand and squeezes him tightly. He closes his eyes and whimpers, struggling to maintain his grip upon her wrist, but she easily brushes him off.

"I want this," she whispers forcefully, pushing her skirt and leggings down past her knees, baring her lower half to him. Hiccup opens his eyes at her words, then looks on in shock as he sees her revealing herself to him. He can't help but stare in amazement at her bare sex, his eyes wide as he gasps in shock at the sight of glistening, short blond hair that almost hides her folds of skin. She smiles shyly, blushing profusely as he looks upon her, his breath quickening.

He closes his eyes as he struggles to resist. "Astrid, we'll make things worse if we…" She silences him again by grabbing his hand and pushing it against her crotch. Both of them close their eyes and gasp as his fingers touch her soft skin, Astrid's fingers tightening around his wrist as her other hand again squeezes his hard length.

"I don't care," she says as she starts to slowly stroke his erection. Unable to resist, Hiccup opens his eyes and watches her as he explores her moist sex with his fingers, utterly amazed that he's doing this to her, that she wants him to do this to her. He looks up at her as he feels the soft, velvety, wet heat of her sex, watching with sheer joy as her face contorts in all kinds of wonderful ways when he runs his fingers over her skin. She moans weakly at his exploration, slowly moving her hips as his fingers caress her.

He finds her slick opening and pushes a finger just a little inside. Astrid gasps loudly, gripping his stiffness all that much harder, making Hiccup likewise cry out. The boy shivers excitedly at the feel of her flesh squeezing his finger as he slides it in deeper, his mind whirling at the thought of putting his penis inside her.

After a moment, she says urgently, "I need you, Hiccup." Her voice drops to a whisper as she opens her eyes to look down at him with a heated stare, "I love you…"

Hiccup sits up and presses his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. She wimpers against his lips while he fondles her. He then moves his finger around inside of her, stroking it in and out, his tender touch drawing a mewling sound out from the girl as she kisses back weakly. She squirms at his touch, as her breath becomes ragged, her grip on him losening a little while her body heats up at his touch. She starts to position herself over his erection, lowering her sex towards his.

He pulls back from the kiss, reaching up with his free hand to caress her cheek while he says urgently, "Astrid, I love you too, but if I get you pregnant…"

At that word, Astrid stops and looks into his eyes at his words, hesitating. He stares at her intently, stroking her cheek with his free hand as time slips by.

She groans in frustration, dropping her head on his shoulder and releasing her grip on his shaft. He sighs heavily in relief, kissing her cheek tenderly while taking his hand off of her sex, wrapping that arm about her shoulders, hugging her to him. He smiles as he smells her nectar on his fingers.

"Dammit," she mumbles against his neck. "Why do you always have to be so sensible?"

Hiccup chuckles at her words. "Believe me, nobody's more upset about it than me," He remarks dryly, to which she scoffs bitterly. "I want nothing more than to…" he clears his throat, unable to say it. "Well, you know…" he tries to say, blushing all the more.

Astrid lifts her head and looks at him consideringly, a small smirk playing upon her lips.

Hiccup watches her with a concerned expression. "What?" he asks.

Her grin grows absolutely wicked as she looks into his eyes. "Well…we don't have to do…_that_…at least, not yet. We can do…other things…"

Hiccup looks at her with wide eyes as he processes her words, but before he can protest, Astrid once more takes the initiative and again starts to squeeze and stroke his length, causing him to suck in his breath quickly and grip where her neck joins her shoulder with the hand he was caressing her face with. She smiles from ear to ear at the look on his face as she does, a heavy moan escaping his lips. He closes his eyes, crying out as she squeezes him firmly.

Finding the position difficult, Astrid moves so she's no longer straddling him, but instead kneels beside him. Now with a better angle, her hand starts to move faster upon his length, causing him to breathe heavily, his face contorting in a fit of pleasure. She presses her lips to his, kissing him passionately as she strokes his erection. He kisses back hungrily, his mind whirling at the reality of Astrid Hofferson eagerly and happily touching him like this. He grabs her bare hip as he starts to moan into her mouth with every breath, driving Astrid to pump even faster. His hips buck with her frantic motion. He can feel the pressure quickly building up inside as her hand rapidly strokes him with a firm grip.

Suddenly his whole body tenses up and he cries out against her lips as she feels his penis spasming in her hand. Unable to resist the urge to see, Astrid breaks the kiss so she can watch as he spurts his sticky fluids into the sand in front of him. Hiccup's cries echo into the cave as he's overwhelmed. The girl looks on with wide eyes, her hand still pumping as he cries out, his hand gripping her hip almost painfully. She smiles happily at what she's doing to him, pumping harder even as he goes soft in her grip.

To her surprise, Hiccup grabs her wrist, stopping her motion with a grip that's stronger than she'd have thought he could muster. "Too…too much," he gasps between ragged breaths.

"Sorry," she says awkwardly as she reluctantly releases him, to which his only reply is to grab her behind her head and pull her into a passionate kiss. She smiles against his lips as he invades her mouth, and she kisses him back hungrily.

"I can't believe you did that," he whispers against her lips, his breath still coming in heavy gulps. He looks at her and she blushes, shrugging.

"I…I wanted to show you how I feel," she answers, half pleading while looking into his eyes. The smile upon his lips melts her heart.

"So do I," he says, his smile suddenly turning wicked. Astrid's eyes grow wide as she realizes what he means, just as his hand that still rests upon her hip moves to cup her bare sex again. She sucks in her breath as he explores, and she grips his shoulders firmly.

"H-Hi-iccup…" she starts to say in protest, but he silences her by slipping his finger inside of her again. She yelps at his penetration, staring into his eyes as she starts to rock her hips with the strokes of his digit into her.

"It's only fair," he argues as his thumb roams around her folds until he finds a point that makes her grip his shoulders all the more firmly, her eyes falling shut as a shuddering moan escaping her lips. "You started this," he reminds her as he starts to rub that spot while still wiggling his finger around inside of her. She looks at him with a heated, half-lidded gaze, her face contorting with pleasure.

Astrid squirms at his touch, wimpering as he caresses her. With his other hand he grips the back of her head, pulling her to him. He slips a second finger into her and kisses her tenderly as she writhes against his hand, his lips caressing hers firmly as he deepens the kiss. Now and again he stops his fingers to rub his thumb over that raised spot, making Astrid whimper louder each time. Hiccup is amazed at how wet her flesh is down there, it seems to be getting more and more soaked the longer he plays with her.

Her cries into the kiss become more frantic the more he rubs her. Hiccup moves his fingers faster inside of her the more urgent her sounds become, his fingers driving deep into her as her breath comes in heavy gulps. He keeps rubbing his thumb over that raised spot and the girl squirms against him, rocking her hips with his motions until at last she feels a white hot fire in her core as she peaks.

Her vision goes white as she breaks the kiss to scream his name at the top of her lungs, the sound echoing loudly throughout the cave. She grips at his shoulders until her knuckles are white as he keeps plunging his fingers inside of her while rubbing his thumb against that wonderful spot. Her body shakes violently and she screams again, this time her voice incoherent as he keeps rubbing her spasming flesh, the feeling growing more intense inside her as she curls her toes inside of her boots.

"S-stop!" she finally screams in a desperate and trembling voice as he keeps playing with her. His hand stops at her demand.

He lingers in touching her, smiling widely as he watches her face with an amazed expression. Her hot breath spills out over him heavily in ragged gulps as she tries to calm herself, but her heart pounds violently in her ears as she shakes.

Hiccup pulls her to him again, kissing her tenderly. She melts against him as he withdraws his hand from her crotch, wrapping his arms about her to pull her close. Pressing her weight against him, she pushes him down again, climbing atop of him as their lips linger together.

"Well," she breathes raggedly against his lips, "that was certainly unplanned…"


	5. Chapter 5

"You mean you had a plan when you brought me out here?" Hiccup asks Astrid with an amused grin as she lays atop of him, her breath still heavy and ragged, though it becomes a little more steady each time she inhales. She shrugs at his question, waiting to answer until she can catch her breath.

As she collects herself, the boy's mind whirls at the enormity of what had just happened. He finds he can't wrap his brain around it. Astrid loves him. Not only does she love him, but she was ready to have sex with him. He starts to kick himself for refusing that, but quickly reminds himself that it's for the best of they wait. Their time will come.

He hopes.

Still, in the meanwhile…she had touched him there, she had made him…find his release. What's more, she bared her sex to him, even made him touch her there and let him do the same to her. The boy hugs her excitedly as he remembers what it felt like to slip his fingers inside of her, to make her scream his name in a fit of ecstacy.

Hiccup simply can't believe it all.

After several moments, Astrid lifts her head to look at him."I had a plan to tell you what was going on and apologize, so you would stop thinking that I wasn't interested." She hesitates and starts to blush, then looks away from his gaze. "I…wasn't expecting you to just come right out and tell me that you love me…" she smiles as she glances shyly at him. Hiccup finds her bashfullness very strange, considering what they just did and the fact that they were lying together without wearing any pants.

He chuckles, squeezing his arms about her waist and sliding his hands over her back, "Well, you know me - always doing something stupid or crazy…"

Astrid smirks knowingly at his words, tracing his lips with her finger. "I know," she says, "that's part of the reason I fell in love with you…"

Hiccup's smile is contagious as he hears her speak those wonderful words again and it makes him tingle from head to toe. His hands slide up her body to the back of her head, pulling her down into another kiss. She smiles at this, happy beyond words with his initiative, pressing her lips firmly to his, and without hesitation as they kiss deeply.

The cave suddenly echos with the trill of Astrid's Nadder. The teens quickly break the kiss, looking over in surprise. They see two sets of dragon eyes watching them with intense curiosity as the beasts lounge lazily near the mouth of the large cave. Stormfly has her head cocked, while Toothless watches them intently with a furrowed brow.

Astrid groans, turning away from their companions to rest her forehead on Hiccup's head with a thunk. "Oh Gods, were they watching us the whole time?!" she asks rhetorically, her voice laced with embarrassed misery.

"Well, it's not like they had anything else to entertain them," Hiccup muses, earning him a pinch on his side. "Ow," he protests.

"Not funny," Astrid chides him. "We are _not_ having an audience the next time we do this," she says with a frustrated sigh, causing Hiccup's body to surge with excitement.

Astrid wanted to do this again. She was even planning the details of the matter. In his head, he had been almost certain that a repeat of this was inevitable, given their mutual confession of being in love, but to hear her say it so casually…

Well, it just left him giddy.

"What?" she asks him as he looks at her happily.

"Uhm," he hesitates, blushing as he shrugs. "I'm just excited you want to do this again," he says with a foolish grin on his face.

She smirks at his words, brushing her bangs from her face, though they fall immediately back into place. "Well of course I do," she says plainly. "I love you," she explains tenderly. Hiccup thrills at hearing those words again. The girl hesitates for a moment. "Besides, you made my toes curl," she tells him with a teasing voice. "I'd be an idiot not to want to do that again…"

His eyes grow wide at her words and he feels ecstatic at her description of his prowess. She lifts an eyebrow at the look on his face. "Don't let that go to your head," she warns him, pushing a finger into his chest.

"Got it. Don't get a big head," he says with a smirk. She rolls her eyes at his weak double entendre, choosing to ignore it.

Hiccup grins all the more, trying to pull her in for another kiss. She hesitates for a moment, giving him a teasing look, but then with a playful smile she leans in and presses her lips to his. He's happy beyond words that he can just do this whenever.

As they kiss, though, he can feel Astrid's mood change, her movements growing more tense. They linger for a while before she pulls away, resting her forehead on his with a sigh.

"Hiccup…what're we going to do?" she asks with a measure of desperation in her voice. "My dad will literally kill us if he finds out about this…about us…"

Back to Midgard they crash.

"We'll think of something," the boy says sincerely as he holds her tightly. Now that he and Astrid were a couple, he would do anything to protect her and to keep her. Actually, he would have done anything before today, but now it doubles his resolve. "I'll talk to my Dad, he'll help us figure out a way to make this work."

Astrid sighs in frustration, sitting up. Hiccup follows suit, happy that she stays in his lap. He can't help but steal a glance down at her nakedness, sucking in his breath at the sight. That and the feel of her bare legs against his makes him almost giddy, in spite of the gravity of their situation.

"Do you think he can?" she asks worriedly, the sound of her voice drawing his gaze back up to hers. She looks into his eyes with concern. "I don't know, my Dad is pretty scary,…"

Hiccup cups her face in his hands, silencing her with a kiss. She likewise grabs his face, pressing her lips against his desperately. "We'll figure it out," he whispers against her lips. "I'm not going to lose you…"

Astrid pulls back to look into his eyes at the passionate words, her breath trembling. She smiles, caressing his cheeks as she kisses him again, the two lingering for a while in an intimate embrace.

When they finally part, Astrid shivers. "Let's get dressed, I'm freezing." Hiccup nods as she stands up and starts pulling up her leggings. He does the same while on the ground, lifting his butt to pull his breeches back up, then drawing the strings tight to tie them.

He starts to try and stand, gritting his teeth when he finds that sand has made it's way in between his stump and artificial leg. As he tries to put his weight on it, his peg leg sinks down into the sand, twisting uncomfortably against his stump, grinding his flesh against the grit now lodged in in his prosthetic, which is surprisingly coarse and sharp. He quickly loses his balance and lands on his rear with a gasp.

His cheeks color a dark red as he casts a fleeting glance up at Astrid, who's watching him with a concerned expression. The sight of it burns inside, and he scowls as he tries to get up again.

The girl wordlessly takes his hand in hers and tries to pull him up, but he resists, pushing her hand away.

"Hiccup!" she cries out in surprise, as he flounders again, wincing at the same grinding feeling and falling back to his posterior. "Let me help you!"

"I can do this!" he protests, trying and failing once more, sending a fair amount of sand spraying.

Astrid holds up her hand to deflect the spray from her face, scowling. "Dammit, Hiccup, take my hand!" she barks at him.

"No!" he snarks back, struggling more, his breath coming heavily from all the effort.

"Why won't you let me help you?!" she asks harshly.

"Why do you want to?" he snarks back.

"Seriously!? Because I love you, you idiot!" she shouts back at him as he tries and fails again. "That's what people in love do, they take care of each other!"

Hiccup closes his eyes with a scowl as he breathes heavily. "I'm not helpless," he says.

"I never said you are," Astrid replies firmly, astounded. She had never seen this side of him, and it worried her to see him so affected by his disability.

She kneels down and takes his hand in hers. He looks up at her, his face a mixture of hurt and hopelessness. "I'm not a cripple," he protests.

"Of course you're not," she says tenderly. "You're the man I love." He looks up at her, staring blankly.

Her expression hardens as she stands, releasing his hand. "Now, are you going to let me help you up?" She crosses her arms indignantly. "Or, should I let you thrash around until you're completely exhausted and then just carry you over to Toothless like a sack of potatos?"

Hiccup closes his eyes in frustration, taking a few more heavy gulps of air thrusts his hand up at her. She doesn't take it, and he looks up at her. "I'm sorry, Astrid," he says earnestly as she lifts an eyebrow. "Really…I'm sorry. Could you help me up? Please?"

The girl pauses, considering before she nods, taking his hand and hefting him up with not as much effort as he had expected. In the same motion, she pulls him against her, wrapping her other arm about his waist to press him against her as she continues to hold his hand tightly, almost painfully. She angrily and wordlessly stares into his eyes, now so close to hers that their noses about touch, lingering in silence as she leaves him to squirm under her penetrating gaze.

"Don't you ever do that again," she says sternly. He swallows heavily, nodding as he listens intently. "If we're together, then we're together. You take my help when you need it, and I'll take yours when I need it, no arguing. We count on each other. We look out for each other. Oh, and no more of this bullshit about being a cripple, and no more feeling sorry for yourself. That's not the man I fell in love with."

In stunned silence, Hiccup blinks at her words, marvelling at how beautiful she is, even as she speaks so harshly to him. He slowly nods, his eyes never leaving hers. "I…I promise," is all he can think to say, his voice little more than a whisper.

Astrid's scowl slowly fades at his words, and she nods. "I promise too," she says resolutely, and suddenly Hiccup feels the enormity of what has just passed between them. Still, he can't resist the urge to say what comes next to his mind.

"You promise to not think you're a cripple?" he asks with a sardonic smirk, his gaze still locked on hers. Astrid frowns and squeezes his hand that's still in hers.

"Ow ow ow…!" he cries out in pain, then she stops, but doesn't release him.

"_That's_ for being a stupid jerk," she says sternly, as he tries to flex his throbbing hand still locked in her iron grip. He blinks as he waits for what should follow, but Astrid doesn't move, instead she smirks in amusement. Hiccup shifts nervously, waiting hopefully, but after the space of several breaths go by, the boy looks down forlornly with a sigh.

Astrid releases his hand and lifts his chin, pressing her lips against his, kissing him tenderly.

"That's for everything else," she whispers against his lips.

* * *

Stoic the Vast walked up to the blacksmith's shop and looked inside, furrowing his brow when he only saw Gobber.

"ello, Stoic!" the smith greeted him, glancing over from his work at the Chief's arrival. "What brings you 'round, then?" he asks, turning his attention back to the hot piece of metal that he was beating into shape.

"I'm looking for Hiccup," he says gruffly, frowning slightly when he doesn't see the lad.

"Ah, well, he's taken the day off," Gobber answers, dipping the metal into a nearby bucket, nodding as the billow of steam pours out. "Went flying with Astrid, unless I'm mistaken," he adds.

"Aye, that's what I was afraid of," Stoic says heavily.

Gobber looks over with concern. "An' what'd be wrong with that?" he asks. "I thought you liked the idea of them together…?"

Stoic nods heavily. "Oh, I do, Gobber, I do," he sighs. "But I just had a talk with th'girls father…"

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid kiss for a long time, just holding each other. After a while, Hiccup starts to shift restlessly in her embrace, his stump growing sore from standing too long in the cold while his good leg aches from carrying most of his weight, given the difficulty that the sand gives him. The boy tries to ignore it and continue kissing the girl of his dreams, but Astrid is having none of it.

She pulls away just enough to look into his eyes. "Are you okay?" she asks, lifting an eyebrow.

He's about to answer with some sort of ridiculously faux-macho, very sarcastic proclamation that he's just perfectly fine, but between her penetrating stare and his memory of the promise she had just extracted from him, he simply says, "My bad leg's kinda aching, and my good leg's getting tired." He sounds defeated, but honest.

Astrid smiles with a measure of satisfaction before she steals one last kiss from him. Pulling out of his embrace, she puts her arm around his back and under his arm to support him. Hiccup naturally puts his arm around her back and holds onto her shoulder

"Let's go sit down, then," she says as she starts walking him over to a large rock with a particularly flat surface. Hiccup nods wordlessly as he lets her lead him over, hobbling along and then accepting her help to ease him down to sit upon the boulder. He looks at her as she sits down next to him, swallowing bitterly.

"Stop that," she tells him, meeting his gaze.

"Stop what?" he asks guiltily.

"Stop feeling bad about needing help," she says firmly, glaring at him.

He sighs. "I'll try." He pauses, adding, "It's not easy, though."

"I know," she says, taking his hand in hers, entwining their fingers together. He glances over at her, "but I'm here for you." He smiles, squeezing her hand. "Even if I have to disown my father to to be with you," she adds bleakly, her face growing troubled.

"We'll figure this out, Astrid," he assures her, gripping her hand firmly. She smiles faintly, leaning against him. Hiccup releases her hand to wrap his arm about her shoulders, pulling her to him. "In the meanwhile, what do we do?" he asks.

"Well, I can't be seen with you in public," she says with a weary voice. Hiccup sighed but didn't say anything. He understood well enough the concern. Berk was such a small village, rumors spread like a brushfire. One slip up and her father would know about them before nightfall.

Astrid continues, tracing a finger over his leg "but I…I need to see you. The more the better." Hiccup's heart races at her admission and he squeezes her, overjoyed as she snuggles against him. "Who can we trust?" She asks.

"Well, my Dad," he says and she nods as he adds, "and Gobber."

"We can trust my Mom," Astrid says.

Hiccup frowns slightly, glad she can't see his face. "Are you sure?" he asks.

She nods her head resolutely. "She hates my Dad. I've never had to worry about her, she's always protected me from him," she explains. "I've never kept any secrets from her. She even knew I was coming out here with you today."

"Okay," he answers. "We should probably leave it at that. The less people that know, the better."

"Yeah," she sighs. "But, I hate being so secretive," she complains forlornly, still touching his leg, rubbing him absentmindedly. "I want to tell the world about us, to shout it out from a mountaintop."

Hiccup squeezes her to him, grinning in spite of the dire circumstances they find themselves in. "I…can't believe you're so excited about…this…about us," he says with a touch of giddiness in his voice. "Heck, I can't even believe there is an 'us'," he amends.

"Why?" Astrid asks incredulously, pulling back to look at him.

Hiccup smirks at her confusion. "Because…you're…you're Astrid!" he tells her enthusiastically, causing her to blush slightly. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! You're smart, you're clever, you're tough, you're…just all around amazing."

Astrid's cheeks turn a bright pink as she listens and the girl looks remarkably self conscious. "Come on, Hiccup, I'm not special or anything," she argues, looking down to fuss with her skirt. "I didn't even make top of my class in. Dragon Training," she says with a smirk, glancing at him from under her bangs.

Hiccup chuckles, blushing a little at the memory and meeting her gaze with a wry grin. "Did I mention you're also funny?" he asks. She smiles as she wraps her arms about his neck, leaning into him.

"I think that's more your thing than mine," she protests, pressing her lips to his to silence him. Hiccup meets her lips happily, quickly deepening the kiss. The girl moans as he does, idly playing with the hair on the back of his head as their tongues dance together lazily.

They linger for a while again, content to just enjoy each other. Hiccup completely loses himself in the moment, happy beyond words when suddenly he hears Astrid's stomach growl noisily, the sound carrying in the cavernous space. The lovestruck teens stop mid-kiss, each opening their eyes to look at one another. They pull apart as Hiccup lifts an eyebrow and smirks while Astrid blushes, looking sheepish.

"Hungry?" he asks rhetorically.

She scowls at him. "Boy you really are a genius, aren't you?" she snips, causing him to grin all the more. "I skipped breakfast, okay?" she chides him.

Hiccup smirks at her as he remembers their dawn meeting at the forge, lifting his eyebrows. "Oh, you were that eager to see me?" he asks with a hint of conceit.

Astrid continues to scowl at him, blushing all the more. She crosses her arms indignantly, getting up in a huff and walking off.

Hiccup groans. He's already pissed her off, and they haven't been a couple for a day yet. "Astrid, come on," he calls out to her. She walks quickly towards Stormfly without a hitch in her stride. Hiccup gets up to chase after her, gritting his teeth at the pressure on his stump. "I was teasing you. What, I'm not allowed to tease you?"

The girl reaches her dragon as Hiccup starts trying to run, which he finds very difficult in the sand. "Astrid, I'm sorry, please don't go," he says urgently, pleading. He watches as Astrid pets her dragon, talking to it sweetly, then reaches towards the saddle.

"Astrid!" Hiccup calls out desperately, hobbling as fast as he can in the sand, cursing his leg.

The girl reaches behind her saddle and pulls out a leather sack, untying it from the back of her seat. Turning to leisurely walk back towards Hiccup, she lazily opens the bag and looks in, rummaging around before she pulls out a strip of jerky that she takes a bite of. Hiccup stops in his tracks as he watches in her in disbelief as she walks up stand before him.

"Oh, Hiccup!" she says in mock surprise as she swallows the bite. The boy huffs in heavy breaths from the exhersion as he starts to glare at her. "You didn't have to get up, I was bringing the food back," she says all too sweetly, her eyes making it clear she knew exactly what she just did to him. Reaching in, she pulls out a large piece of meat still on the bone. "Smoked turkey leg?" she asks charmingly. Hiccup glares at her.

"Okay," he pants, still trying to catch his breath and bending over, resting his hands on his knees, "that…was downright mean.."

Astrid smirks at him. She puts the food back in the bag and slings it over her shoulder, wrapping her arm supportively around him as he stands up straight again. "What?" she asks sardonically, "I'm not allowed to tease you?"

Hiccup frowns at her as he puts his arm over her shoulder and she walks him back to the rock. She shakes her head with a sigh. "You know, for such a genius, you really are dense," she says bluntly.

Hiccup looks at her incredulously, "and why do you say that?" he asks irritably.

She sighs heavily as she helps him seat himself again. "Hiccup, I just admitted that I love you, after I told you that I'm going against my father's wishes to see you," she points out plainly as she puts down the bag and looks intently at him. "Not to mention that we were just…very intimate," she adds, clearing her throat as they both blush, her words bringing a brief grin to his face. "Do you really think I'm going to walk out on you just because you teased me a little?"

The boy blushes, looking chagrined as he rubs the back of his neck. "I dunno," he mumbles, shrugging while looking down at his feet. "I guess…I'm kinda worried that you're going to come to your senses and realize what a mistake I am."

"Hiccup," she says quietly, reaching over to caress his cheek, turning and lifting his face towards her. "You're no mistake. You're the most amazing man I've ever met," she says simply. He looks at her with a measure of disbelief.

Astrid smiles gently at him, asking quietly, "Do you want to know when I fell in love with you?" She leans closer to him while looking into his eyes. He nods wordlessly staring back at her, his gaze trapped in hers.

"It was when you took me on my first flight," she tells him in an almost whisper as she leans in closer, her fingers stroking his cheek gently. His eyebrows lift up at her words, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

Her smile blooms all the more as she explains, "After stupid Toothless finished scaring the Hel out of me when we first took off, and I opened my eyes to find myself floating high above the ground…" She closes her eyes, breathing in deeply as she relives the moment in her mind, "It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The world wheeling far below me, the clouds at my fingertips, the cold wind of the heavens blowing through my hair and biting at my cheeks…" She sighs happily as Hiccup covers her hand upon his cheek, opening her eyes to look at him with such a passionate stare of love that he sharply draws in his breath, swallowing nervously.

She continues, "and as I held on to you while Toothless took us soaring through the sky, I realized that the only reason I was touching the heavens was because of you. It was because of everything that you are, all the same things that had made the rest of us so…unsettled around you, before." She turns her hand to take hold of his, entwining their fingers together. "I wondered how you ever managed to convince Toothless to carry you on his back in the first place, how you could have won his trust like that. For you to have done that made me realize how special you are…" She squeezes his hand tightly, smiling with unbridled joy as she stares into his eyes.

"That…was the most amazing night of my life," she breathes, hesitating a moment before she blushes and adds with a knowing grin, "well…so far, at least…" Hiccup grins while clearing his throat as he blushes along with her, squeezing her hand tightly in his.

She beams at him, leaning in closer still, until he can feel her breath upon his face. "That night I fell in love with you, Hiccup," she tells him with a tremble in her voice, staring heatedly into his eyes. "That night I realized I could never be happy with any other man." The boy squeezes her hand tightly, swallowing heavily as his breath comes more quickly at her words, staring at her with wide eyes. "It scared me to death, but I knew in my heart and in my head that you were the one, the only one, for me." Hiccup closes his eyes, trembling against her now.

Tears burn in Astrid's eyes as she leans in and kisses him lovingly, releasing his hand to caress his face. Hiccup answers her kiss passionately, pressing his lips against hers, moaning weakly. He wraps her up in his arms as she slides her arms around his neck and the two embrace tightly. "I love you, Hiccup," she whispers between kisses.

"I love you too, Astrid," he answers weakly.

They kiss deeply and passionately, losing all sense of time.


	6. Chapter 6

After some time, Astrid finally and reluctantly starts to pull away from Hiccup. He groans in protest, leaning in to try and keep her in his embrace. Momentarily enticed, she lingers, but then mutters against his lips, "As much as I love kissing you, I need to eat something." She gives him one last quick kiss, then pulls away and turns her attention to the forgotten bag of food sitting next to them. After a moment of rumaging around, she pulls out a smoked turkey leg and proceeds to take a big bite while offering the bag to Hiccup.

"You came prepared," he comments while looking inside the bag, then fishes out a piece of bread. He glances at her as he breaks off a piece and pops it in his mouth. "You weren't kidding yesterday when you said we could spend the day together."

Astrid grins at his words, looking at him with a coy grin as she swallows her bite. "I told you, I want to spend a lot of time with you," she reminds him. "I don't know when we'll get the chance to do this again, so I want to make the most of it," she says, taking another bite.

Hiccup furrows his brow, asking with genuine confusion, "why couldn't we spend the day again soon?"

The girl chuckles, rolling her eyes. "Hiccup, it'd get kinda suspicious pretty quickly, don't you think? We're already pushing our luck as it is with the two of us going completely missing for an entire day. The more we do it, the more obvious it'll be to everyone." Hiccup sighs at her point as he takes another piece of bread. Astrid picks at her food, adding, "like I said, we're going to have to be careful."

Hiccup nods again as his girlfriend eats more of the hunk of meat. He answers, "Well, we'll just have to do what we can. I'm sure Dad, Gobber, and your Mom will help us out." He pauses, then adds with a grin, "I can live with stolen moments, as long as it means we get to be together."

Astrid smiles happily, looking at Hiccup with adoring eyes. The two enjoy their meal in silence for several minutes.

"So, I've been wondering," she starts to say, watching him with a curious gaze, "what was going on that night during Dragon Training at the forge, when you just disappeared while we were talking?"

Hiccup smirks at her question, chuckling a little. "Oh, that," he answers. "I had been testing my latest saddle design with Toothless earlier and we lost control. We landed kinda roughly." Astrid furrows her brow in concern but he continues without noticing, "it bent the clip on the strap I was using to secure myself to the saddle, so we were stuck together."

"So you waited until nightfall to sneak in and fix it?" she asks.

The boy chuckles as he takes a bite of bread. "Well, I couldn't just parade through the village on Toothless' back, now could I?" he asks with a grin, which she answers with her own smirk. "You scared me to death by visiting us," he says, to which the girl glances at him with an amused look in her eyes.

"I can imagine," she says, looking over to Toothless. After thinking for a moment, Astrid furrows her brow. "You must have had a few rough landings while trying to learn to ride Toothless," she observes.

Hiccup nods. "Yeah, I think I got more beat up from that than Dragon Training," he answers with a smirk.

The girl nods knowingly, eyeing him with a thoughtful gaze. "I'd often wondered why you acted like you had so many bruises, when you never got hurt in training after the first couple of weeks," she observes, referring to when he started to apply his newfound knowledge from his time with Toothless.

With a lifted eyebrow, Hiccup looks at her consideringly. "I'm surprised you noticed that," he remarks. "I didn't think you had even paid any attention to me, before…" Astrid chortles at his words.

"Oh, I noticed you," she says somewhat sarcastically, smirking at him. "_Everybody_ noticed you, after you started doing well in Dragon Training, Hiccup." She half glares at him as she pauses, her grin lilting all the more as he blushes and squirms uncomfortably.

Hiccup clears his throat. "I, uh…" he hesitates, smiling nervously at her. "Yeah, I guess you weren't really happy about all that, were you?" The girl smirks all the more at his words, meeting his gaze intently.

"Yeah, I wanted to kill you," she says in such a matter-of-fact way that Hiccup swallows nervously.

"What, uh…what about before that?" He asks hesitantly, watching her intently.

She hesitates, then sighs, "yeah, I didn't really pay you any mind." The boy nods in understanding, though he can't hide the disappointment he feels. Astrid frowns slightly, watching him with a slightly guilty expression.

Furrowing his brow, he asks, "So…I might regret asking this, but…would you have been interested in me, if all this hadn't happened?"

She looks at him pensively, shrugging. "Honestly," she says, then shakes her head and answers, "Probably not."

Hiccup nods sullenly, having expected the answer. "Soo, what then? Someone like Snoutlout?"

Astrid looks at him like he's grown a second head. "Are you kidding me? Hel no," she says firmly, looking disgusted at the idea. "EW," she adds for emphasis as Hiccup blinks in surprise.

"Really?" he asks. Astrid sighs.

"I'm not going to get out of answering this, am I?" she asks plaintively.

Hiccup holds his hands up defensively, "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay by me…I probably would be happier not knowing."

With a sigh, she rolls her eyes. "No, you might actually like it," she answers, her voice laced with irritation. Hiccup furrows his brow with a curious gaze. She shrugs and explains, "I wasn't really thinking of stuff like that," she says simply as she picks at her turkeyleg.

"I was only focused on my skills and on becoming the best warrior on the island," she says, glancing back at Hiccup who watches her with interest. "My Dad has pushed me mercilessly since I could barely walk. It was my only interest" she hesitates, blushing as she looks down again, fussing with a bit of skin on the leg. "So, at first I wasn't interested in you because you were such a screw up. My whole world revolved around perfection, and I thought you were the farthest thing from it. Then you started to do well in the ring, better than me, and I kinda went a little nuts with jealousy."

She looks back at him and shrugs, adding, "The whole time, I couldn't get past what I thought you were. Before, you were just annoying because of all your accidents, then I kinda hated you because of how you just magically showed me up at every turn." The boy nods sullenly, looking downcast as he glances at his food in his lap.

Astrid pauses and grins, watching him for a moment or two before adding, "But it turns out I was the one who was clueless." Hiccup glances back her. "So clueless, that it took all of that," she says, gesturing at the dragons, "for me to see how much I was missing in all of this," she waves her hand to gesture at Hiccup's body.

The boy blushes as Astride looks into his eyes with a smile, "once you kidnapped me and showed me what you and Toothless had done together…" she pauses, drawing in her breath deeply as she stares into his eyes before adding, "I could suddenly see it so clearly. You turned my world upsidedown, Hiccup," she says, caressing his cheek. He smiles happily, leaning into her touch as she adds, "and I couldn't be happier with realizing how wrong I was," she hesitates before withdrawing her hand and adding with a grin, "at least, just this once."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Hiccup smiles sheepishly at the girl sitting next to him, smiling widely as he looks at her happily.

"Wow…" he says as she grins at him.

"Told you that you'd like it," she says with a shrug, watching him contentedly until her brows furrow slightly.

"But what about you?" she asks.

"Huh?" Hiccup asks, and the boy is instantly annoyed by his own completley inarticulate answer.

"Hiccup, I've been sitting here for a while, telling you all the little details about how I fell in love with you," she explains, lifting an eyebrow at him. "I think you owe me the same…"

Hiccup blinks at her words, hesitating, then grinning from ear to ear at her. "You're joking," he says with an astounded voice.

Astrid frowns, looking at him indigantly. "It's only fair," she protests. To her further irritation, he only laughs. "Hiccup!" she barks, ready to start beating him up again.

"Astrid," he says incredulously, still chuckling while staring into her eyes, "I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember! Ever since I started thinking about girls that way," he says sincerly, grinning as he watches her expression change to shock, her anger instantly evaporating.

"Oh…." she says, suddenly blushing deeply as his words sink in.

"You mean to tell me you never noticed?" he asks incredulously, grinning at her still.

She hesitates, then answers, "I-Uhm, I…no…I…I didn't…" She looks down as she suddenly feels very chagrined.

Hiccup sighs with a nod, suddenly feeling embarassed. He looks down, picking at his food. "It's okay, I kinda thought so," he says, unintentionally twisting the knife of the guilt she felt. She looks at him and opens her mouth to say something, an apology maybe, but then he continues. "I can't explain it like you did," he says, almost mumbling. "I just…there was this one day, a few years ago," he starts to tell her, then hesitates. Astrid watches him intently, quietly waiting for him to continue.

"I saw you walking into the village square…and…something happened inside of me. My heart started to pound like a hammer, my palms got sweaty, my stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies," he tells her, blushing all the more. "I realized I'd never seen anyone so beautiful." Breathlessly she watches him in awe, her eyes wide as he opens up to her. He hesitates, grinning slighty. "You saw me and smiled a little, giving me a quick wave."

He chuckles, "I knew you didn't mean anything by it, you were just being friendly, but I couldn't stop thinking about you after that." Clearing his throat, he glances up at her bashfully, before quickly looking back down and continuing, "I don't know what happened, but ever since then I've just been completely in love with you. The more I saw you, the more I heard your voice, the more I learned about you…" He sighs, shaking his head. "Even though you never looked twice at me, and I knew I had no chance in Hel with you, I…" Astrid reaches out, taking his hand in hers. He looks up in surprise, meeting her gaze.

"I love you, Hiccup," she says plainly, squeezing his hand as she looks intently into his eyes. He closes his eyes and shivers, gripping her hand firmly.

"I will never get tired of hearing you say that," he says in a breathless whisper.

Astrid smiles sweetly, just a little annoyed that she finds herself again on the verge of tears. She never cried, she was way too tough for that, yet this boy has brought her to the brink and beyond more times today than she cares to count.

"Good," she answers him as she leans in close, brushing her lips teasingly against his. He whimpers, causing her to smile. "Because I will never get tired of telling you that," she breathes against him before kissing him soundly. Hiccup squeezes her hand tightly then wraps his arms about her, holding her tightly to him. Astrid likewise embraces him, moaning softly against his lips.

They kiss lovingly, losing themselves to each other yet again, happy beyond words.

* * *

Stoic walks off from the forge after his conversation with Gobber, frowning as he thinks about his chat with Astrid's father. He gives a heavy sigh as he starts to make his way towards the Great Hall, figuring some food and drink would do him well right about now.

"Stoic!"

The great man turns at the sound of Vali Jorgenson's voice, smiling tightly at the sight of his friend and ally.

"Hail, Vali!" he replies as the two grasp each other's forearm in greeting. "How d'ye fare t'day?"

"Well enough, I suppose," he answers with a furrowed brow. "I just had a very interesting talk with Thorsten about Astrid…"

"Oh?" Stoic lifts an eyebrow in concern. He frowns as he listens to Vali's tale.

Just when the chief thought things couldn't get any worse for the two lovestruck teens.

* * *

Astrid and Hiccup part, the two of them silently smiling as they go back to their food.

After a few minutes, Hiccup looks at Astrid with a curious eye. "So, how's Stormfly been as your dragon?" he asks her inquisitively.

"What do you mean?" she replies, furrowing her brow as she finishes a bite and starts on the next.

"Well, she was used to train new recruits like ourselves for a while," he answers as he picks at his bread. "I've been wondering how that's affected her as your pet."

Astrid nods in understanding, shrugging. "She's been fine," the girl comments. "Very kind and attentive, always ready to go for a flight together. She greets me every morning when I wake up, and likes to get scratched behind her jaw as much as I'll do it for her." Hiccup nods as he listens to her. "We often enjoy our meals together, and she's very well behaved."

"Except for when she chews on your saddle," Hiccup observes. Astrid looks at him with a smirk. The boy's brow furrows as he considers something. "I wonder if it's chaffing her," he says, looking over at the cave entrance where Stormfly is curled up along side of Toothless. Both dragons appear to be sleeping. "Maybe I should check it's fitting, there could be room for some adjustments," Hiccup adds thoughtfully.

Astrid giggles, drawing Hiccup's gaze back to her. "I don't think so," she tells him.

"Why not?" Hiccup asks as he takes another bite of bread.

She says coyly, "I already told you, I was teasing her with the straps before she chewed them off."

Hiccup furrows his brow. "Oh yeah," he says, having forgotten about that. There's something about the way Astrid's looking at him that makes him think there's more to the story. "Why were you doing that, anyway?" he asks. "We sell dragon toys at the shop now, it would have been easy to get you something that she could have torn to shreds and it wouldn't have caused a problem."

Astrid smiles all the more, watching Hiccup with an adoring gaze now. "I know," she says simply.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looks even more confused and again asks, "Then…why the saddle?" She says nothing as he continues, his gaze falling away as he thinks it through, "I mean, you had to know she'd damage it when you started teasing her with it, then you'd have to come to me to get it fixed, since Gobber can't do saddle repair yet…"

His voice falls silent as suddenly everything drops into place. He blinks a couple of times as he suddenly feels like an idiot for not seeing it in the first place. Lifting his gaze back to her, he sees her watching him with an amused gaze.

"You wanted her to ruin your saddle, so you had an excuse to come see me…" he states with a touch of wonder in his voice.

She nods, smiling from ear to ear as he puts it all together. "It almost didn't work, though," she admits. "My father was about to use it as an excuse to get rid of Stormfly, but my mother was able to talk him down from that." Hiccup watches her with a very interested gaze. "She's gotten pretty good at manipulating him, over the years."

With a playful voice, Hiccup asks, "So have you been taking notes? Do you plan to have me wrapped around your little finger?"

The girl laughs, watching him with sparkling eyes. "I think I already do," she tells him. He opens his mouth to protest, but then shrugs.

"Yeah, you probably do," he says with a sheepish grin. "I think that's just what happens when a man loves a woman, though," he says. "The way my dad talks about my mom, I'm sure they were the same way together."

Astrid giggles, "it's hard to imagine Stoic like that."

Hiccup chuckles, nodding. "Yeah, I think the only one that could manage my Dad was my Mom," he says with a smile.

As he eats more of his bread, Astrid's expression darkens. "Hiccup," she hesitates, "what if your Dad doesn't approve of us?"

The boy shakes his head, "My Dad likes the idea of us together, we've talked about it."

She smiles faintly, then her smile disappears and she asks, "does he know that my Dad's forbidden me to see you?"

Hiccup hesitates, furrowing his brow. "I don't know," he answers, frowning a little. Astrid's expression falls as worry overtakes her. "Hey," he tells her, covering her hand with his. "It'll be fine. I'm sure my Dad will support us being together, in spite of your Father." Astrid sighs, clearly unconvinced. She looks down at her food as she picks at it.

Hiccup frowns slightly. He puts his hand under her chin and lifts her gaze back to his. "Astrid," he says intently, taking her hand in his. "No matter what happens, we're going to be together." His voice is firm, resolute. She watches him intently with a worried gaze. "I'm ready to run away with you, forever, if it comes to that."

She swallows heavily at his words, looking deeply into his eyes. "You'd…you'd do that for me?" she asks quietly, "You'd give up everything you have, just to be with me?" Hiccup nods solemnly as he stares back into her gaze.

"I was ready to run off because they wanted me to kill a dragon at the end of Dragon Training," he explains, to which she lifts her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm certainly willing to do the same to be with the girl of my dreams." She smiles, blushing at the way he describes her as he adds, "I'm willing to do that, and more." Astrid draws in a deep breath at his words, watching him with amazement.

"It's you and me," he tells her, staring deeply into her eyes. "No matter what." She smiles all the more, moving her hand in his to entwine their fingers together as he adds solemly, "I swear it to you by all the Gods." She swallows heavily, staring at him happily as she squeezes his hand in hers.

He hesitates, looking down at their joined hands, then adds nervously, "maybe…maybe my Dad can convince your Dad to…sign a marriage contract."

Hiccup nervously glances up at her to find that she's staring at him with wide eyes.

"You…want to get married?" she asks breathlessly, her voice faltering.

Hiccup clears his throat, suddenly regretting his words. "Well, I, uhm…yeah," he answers as he blushes, terrified that he's made a huge mistake. "I…I mean, if you don't…"

Astrid quickly leans in to kiss him, passionately pressing her lips to his as she wraps her arms about his neck. A wave of relief washes over the boy as he embraces her and kisses back lovingly, a ragged sigh escaping him.

"I want to marry you, Hiccup," she whispers against his lips, kissing him deeply again before she pulls back to look into his gaze, staring intently at him as she caresses his cheek. "I want to spend my life with you, no matter what." He smiles at her with a goofy looking grin, looking deeply into her eyes such a complete aura of happiness that Astrid can't help but giggle, watching him with an adoring gaze. She kisses him again, just because she can, then after a while pulls away and sighs happily. Once more she takes his hand in hers and rubs the back of it with her thumb as she looks at him.

"So…do you…do you think he can?" she finally asks, a trace of hope in her voice.

Hiccup blinks a few times, asking, "who can what?"

The girl rolls her eyes as he looks on while still apparently dazed from her accepting his awkward proposal. She sighs. Boys could be so dramatic. "Your Father…our marriage contract…convincing my Dad…"

Hiccup blinks a few more times. "Oh…right." He clears his throat, looking somewhat chagrined as she watches him with an amused eye. "If anyone can, he can," Hiccup affirms, nodding. "I'll talk with him tonight," he says.

Astrid smiles, though she still isn't sure she shares Hiccup's confidence. She knows better than anyone how stubborn and pig headed her father usually is. Still, Hiccup's father is the Chief. He had bested her father before, there's no reason to believe he couldn't do it again.

Even if he couldn't, they would find a way to be together. Hiccup had just sworn to her that he would give up everything to be with her. He had even proposed to her. That amazed her, and left her absolutely breathless and giddy that he loved her so completely. Her mind was still reeling at the events of the day. When she had woken up, she had been terrified she would lose the boy because, like an idiot, she had for so long obeyed her father's stupid orders to stay away from him. Now, by some miraculous twist of fortune, she and Hiccup confessed their mutual love, shared their love in intimate and scandelous ways, and had promised themselves to each other, forever.

She couldn't be happier.

At the same time, she curses herself for not having told Hiccup how she felt from the beginning, for not explaining everything right away. Still, she tries to put those feelings aside.

It doesn't matter how they got here. All that matters now is what lies ahead.

Looking at the boy in front of her who so completely stole her heart, she knows she can face whatever may come, if it's with him. They'll make it work, together.

Somehow.

Astrid squeezes his hand once more, smiling at him as he squeezes back. She then works on finishing her meal. For his part, Hiccup also has a better appetite, eating his piece of bread and even fishing around in the bag to find another turkey leg, which he starts eating.

The two eat in silence for a while, until Astrid asks, "So, you were planning on leaving, after you beat me at Dragon Training?" Something in her tone of voice when she says the last part makes him look at her with a twinge of fear. She lifts an eyebrow at him as she picks at the bone of her turkey leg.

"Uhhm, yeah," he answers after a few moments of silence. "That's what I was getting ready to do when you followed me to find where Toothless was, actually," he answers.

She watches him thoughtfully. "So if I hadn't shown up, you would have just run away?" she asks.

He nods, almost feeling a little guilty now. "I wasn't going to kill a dragon, Astrid," he says resolutely.

She nods, quickly answering, "I know. I'm glad for that," she says. "If you would have, then none of this would have happened. I might not have fallen in love with you," she adds thoughtfully. He nods in understanding.

After a few moments, Hiccup's brow furrows. "So, about that whole, 'beating you at Dragon Training', thing," Hiccup begins as he thinks about how she's mentioned it several times today. He hesitates, then asks nervously, "You're not, like…still mad about that, or anything…are you?" His words hang in the air as she studiously picks at her bone. Astrid then glances up at him from behind her bangs.

"Hiccup, do you honestly think I'd hold a grudge?" she asks, far too sweetly as she grins at him.

"Uhm…" he hesitates, suddenly feeling like he's sailing in very dangerous waters here. "Well, you know I…I wasn't trying to beat you," he answers anxiously, avoiding her question.

"I know," she says, looking back at her food. He breathes a sigh of relief and looks back down at his piece of bread. She waits a moment and then grins, adding with a dangerous tone, "yet you did it so easily…"

Hiccup looks up at her with a fresh bout anxiety, meeting her gaze with wide eyes as she looks back up at him with a glint in hers. He clears his throat as he watches her for a moment.

"Sooo," he starts nervously, "let's just say - hypothetically - that you do hold grudges." He quickly holds up his hands quickly, "not that I'm saying you do, but if you did…" he hesitates as she lifts an eyebrow. "What might handling of said grudge entail?" he asks nervously.

"Oh…I don't know," she shrugs before she looks to the mouth of the cave and whistles loudly, carelessly tossing her turkey leg out towards the dragons. Stormfly's head pops up at the sound and she quickly jumps up to grab the bone in mid air, crunching it noisily in her powerful jaws while Hiccup and Toothless look on in wide-eyed surprise.

The boy glances nervously back at Astrid, who smiles at him devilishly. She then looks in her bag and pulls out a strip of dried venison. "I hadn't really given it much thought," she says with a bored tone. Hiccup smiles at her anxiously as she smiles too sweetly at him, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Uh…oookay," he says, feeling more worried than ever. He pauses, thinking, then asks, "But, if you _were_ the kind of person to hold a grudge, you wouldn't do that to the man you just promised to marry, would you?" To his irritation, Hiccup's voice cracks as he speaks. Clearing his throat, he adds, "you know, the man you love, who you'll be spending the rest of your life with?"

The girl smiles at him from ear to ear, but in a way that sends a chill down his spine. Her eyes glint mischeviously as she tries to keep from giggling.

Tormenting him is just entirely too fun.

"Why, Hiccup," she says all too sweetly, "that just means I have the rest of our lives to carry a grudge…"


	7. Chapter 7

Hiccup swallows nervously at Astrid's proclamation that their union will give her the rest of their lives to take her revenge for his besting her at Dragon Training, and who knows what else. Astrid only grins all the more, watching him with a devilish look in her eyes.

After thinking about it for a minute, the boy shrugs, "Yeah, I guess I can live with that," he answers, smirking back at her.

Astrid's eyes light up at his answer, her smile lilting into an adoring grin. "Well, you'd better," she tells him, looking back at the food in her hands. "Because you don't have a choice in the matter anymore. You're stuck with me," she explains to him, glancing back up at him from behind her bangs.

Hiccup hesitates in answering and furrows his brow, as if he were pondering her answer, when in fact he's happily jumping up and down with excitement on the inside. "Well, if I have to be," he says with a pretend sigh, looking into Astrid's sparkling eyes with a barely suppressed grin. She's likewise having difficulty keeping a straight face, especially when he adds, "but you should watch out. I might make a break for it," he tells her with a wry grin. "You won't be able to keep all this," he adds, gesturing to himself, " raw viking power contained!"

She snorts in derision to hide her giggle, shaking her head. "I think we both already know you can't outrun me," she says, crossing her arms.

"Well, that just means I need to be sneaky about it," he replies. "All I need to do is make it to Toothless, and you'll never be able to catch me," he explains with a grin, watching her smirk at his words.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Astrid answers, "We'll see about that," she says with a narrowed gaze, "I bet I can outfly you on Stormfly…" Hiccup lifts an eyebrow as she continues, "but it doesn't really matter, because you'd never make it to your dragon. Sorry to tell you Hiccup, but you're not at all stealthy."

He frowns slightly, causing her to smirk all the more. "I can be plenty stealthy," he protests indignantly.

Astrid snickers, thinking he's adorable when he pouts. "Oh? Remember how easily I followed you to the secret cove where you were hiding Toothless?" she points out with a triumphant look. Hiccup scowls all the more. "You didn't even know I was behind you until I hopped up on that boulder and started sharpening my axe!" she reminds him with a glint in her eyes.

Hiccup's gaze darkens all the more as she adds, "Face it, stealth is my thing, not yours."

He glares at her for a moment, then shrugs, not ready to be bested. "Well, I'll just have to sneak away when you're not looking," he says with a confident grin. "You can't watch me all the time," he says resolutely.

Astrid smiles. "That's true," she answers. "But it's also easily fixed. I'll just chain you to the bed," she rebutts with a grin. "It even has a side bonus, you'll be right where I need you to be, whenever I'm in the mood," she says with a scandalous look, stiffling a giggle as Hiccups eyebrows lift high up on his forehead, his eyes growing wide.

"Is the beautiful Astrid Hofferson sitting here and telling me that she's going to chain me to her bed to make me her sex slave for life?" he asks rhetorically as Astrid watches him with gleaming eyes. "Somebody pinch me, because I'm either dreaming, or I've died and gone to Valhalla…"

The girl can't contain her laughter any more, and she bursts out into a fit of giggles as Hiccup smiles from ear to ear, watching her with an adoring gaze. She leans in and presses her lips to his, kissing him briefly, but lovingly. Hiccup smiles against her lips, sighing happily as she pulls back to look into his eyes. "I really have died and gone to Valhalla," he says dreamily, causing her to blush in spite of herself.

"But, you know," he says with a dastardly grin, "I'll bet there's one thing I can do to escape your dastardly clutches."

Astrid furrows her brow, genuinely intruiged with his sudden change of demeanor. "What's that?" she asks, a trace of wariness creeping into her voice.

"A Tiny Terror told me that you're ticklish," he says with a smirk as her eyes fly wide open in shock.

Before she can move, Hiccup tackles her and starts to dig his fingers into her ribs, rubbing furiously. Astrid shrieks in alarm, but her voice quickly disolves into an endless stream of giggles as the boy tickles her relentlessly. Never one to surrender, she reaches around as best she can to try the same against his ribs, and is gratified by the howl of laughter that he involuntarily rewards her with.

The teens fall off of the rock into the sand as they wrestle for the better position, rolling around as they tickle each other relentlessly, the cavern echoing with their screams and laughter.

The two dragons near the entrance tense at first in alarm when their companions seem to attack each other, both creatures confused and unsure what to do. As the cave fills with the sounds of the teens' laughter, the two reptiles then relax and settle in with a bored look as the couple wrestles fiercely.

Humans could be so strange.

* * *

Gobber pounds mercilessly on the shapeless metal he holds in his claw, frowning as he considers what Stoic told him about the meeting with the girl's father. The situation did not bode well, and he worried for the young couple.

"Gobber! Where's Hiccup?" The smith winces at the sound of Snoutlout's voice. He found the boy to be nothing if not obnoxious.

"He's not here," Gobber answered without looking up.

"Well, where is he?" The irritating teen asked with a gratingly loud voice.

"I don't know," the smith lied. He wasn't about to compromise his apprentice. "Why don't you go ask him?"

"Well maybe I will!" The boy rebutted, incensed by the smith's tone.

"You can't ask him, moron," Gobber heard Tuffnut rebuke the other boy. "You don't know where he is!"

"I know that!" The boy snaps back. "What I meant was, I'll ask him where he is, once we find him!"

The smith sighs as the boys linger while they bicker at his shop window. Turning to look at them, he finds Snoutlout standing in the center, flanked by Fishlegs and Tuffnut. Ruffnut stands beside her brother with her typically bored expression.

"Well, why don't we ask Astrid where he is?" Fishlegs suggests in his usually helpful manner.

"She's not going to know, idiot," Tuffnut barks back. "She hasn't gone near him for weeks."

"Yeah," Snoutlout starts to say with a very arrogant tone, "she probably realized what she was missing by not choosing me." He flexes one of his biceps, patting the large muscle appreciatively. "It's probably just matter of days until she comes to beg me for a date." He nods smugly at his own words.

"Yeah right," Ruffnut chuckles. "Like Astrid would want anything to do with you."

"Oh yeah?" The burly teen barks back, "how would you know?" He asks angrily.

"Cuz she told me, moron," he girl answers simply. "She's still got the hots for Hiccup," she tells him as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"No way!" Tuffnut exclaims in utter shock.

"Yeah," the girl shrugs. "Her Dad told her to keep away from him, so that's what she's been doing." Ruffnut chuckles, "that won't last, though, she's got her panties totally soaked for him."

Gobber doesn't like the way his conversation was going, for more reasons than one. At the worst, the four teens are about to put two and two together, which would leave Hiccup and Astrid in dire straights.

Besides which, the middle aged smith really doesn't need to hear this level of teen gossip, especially about the boy he very fondly sees as a nephew and the girl that boy was so desperately in love with.

"Why is it you're looking for Hiccup?" The smith wearily asks just as Fishlegs was about to say something, making sure he's loud enough to interrupt their conversation. Of the four of them, that boy is most likely to put it all together, but even then, maybe not. While smart, the large teen is fairly clueless when it comes to people.

"Maybe I can help you with whatever it is you need," Gobber adds, though it's really the last thing he wants to do. Hiccup is going to owe him big for covering his ass like his.

"We need him to settle an argument for us," Tuffnut answers.

"And what, precisely, are you arguing about that Hiccup can solve?" Gobber asks, though he fears he's going to regret it.

"It's about dragons," Snoutlout explains in a tone that suggests he thinks that would disqualify Gobber from filling in for Hiccup.

"Well, as it happens, I know a lot about dragons," Gobber says irritably.

Fishlegs interjects, "Yeah, but, no offense, you only know about what we used to think we knew about dragons, not about what we now know we really know." Everyone pauses to look at him with furrowed brows. "Ya know?" he asks weakly.

Gobber sighs heavily, watching the four teens with growing impatience. "Well, why don't you try me, and if I don't know the answer, I'll be sure to ask Hiccup for you next chance I get," he says with a thin veneer of friendliness that barely conceales his irritation.

"Okay," Tuffnut answers. "So here's the thing, Snoutlout is convinced that Hookfang is smarter than Barf and Blech, but that's like, not possible."

Ruffnut interrupts, adding, "Yeah, cuz our Ziffleback has like, two heads, so that would make him twice as smart as any other dragon, right?"

"No way!" Snoutlout interjects brashly. "Hookfang is a Monstrous Nightmare! Those were always some of the toughest dragons to go against, before…you know…"

Tuffnutt snaps back, "Yeah, but that was because they set themselves on fire! How smart can they be to do that?" he asks indignantly.

Fishlegs interjects, "Well, given they're immune to fire, it's actually a pretty good tactic."

"There, see?" Snoutlout answers, crossing his arms triumphantly. "That settles it!"

"Like Hel it does!" Ruffnut explodes as she and her twin seeth at the other two.

Gobber groans wearily, rubbing his hand across his face as the four teens start arguing vehemently, shouting over one another. The smith starts to question his decision to get in the middle of this. Hiccup had better appreciate the favor he was doing for the boy, he thinks to himself with a sigh as he tries to figure out how best to remove the four bickering teens from his shop.

At the very least, he hopes Hiccup and Astrid are enjoying themselves, given the trouble he and Stoic were going through on their behalf.

* * *

Astrid roughly rolls Hiccup over in the sand onto his back, straddling him with a snarl, grabbing his wrists fiercely and pinning his arms above his head. Her breath comes in heavy gulps as she tries to regain her composure, something more easily said than done after one's new boyfriend goes on a very successful full frontal tickle assault. She's not sure how he managed to get the better of her during some of their scuffle since she knows she's stronger than him.

"That…was mean," she says between heavy breaths, with a hard edge to her voice as she stares down at Hiccup who barks out an indignant laugh.

"This from the girl who let me think she was walking out on me earlier?" he asks sardonically between his own gasps for breath. "Oh, and let's not forget how you've beat me up on several occassions." Astrid smirks at him as he adds, "I think on the scale of meaness, my tickling you ranks pretty low."

"Maybe," she considers with a playful look, clearly enjoying her position of dominance.

"Besides, you got me back pretty good," he says. "I was having trouble breathing there, just now."

She snorts indignantly. "Well, just consider that payback for you reaching up my skirt to tickle my inner thighs." Her cheeks color a shade of red at the memory of how it felt when he touched her there. Of course, she had loved every second of it, but she wasn't about to admit that.

"Well, it's, uhm…" he hesitates. "It's not like I haven't touched you there before," Hiccup points out sheepishly, blushing as he struggles to keep eye contact.

Astrid swallows, blushing and falling quiet at the memory that his words invoke. She stares deeply into the boy's eyes as he looks back at her, his face telling of the same eager anxiety that she suddenly feels in the pit of her stomach. She inhales deeply, her cheeks flushing all the more as she feels him harden against her crotch. The boy blushes a deeper red as he sees her expression change with his reaction to her nearness. The two stare at each other silently, both still breathing a little heavily, their attempts to calm down failing miserably with this new turn of events.

The girl feels herself warm inside at the feel of his erection pressing against her sex. She still tingles at the memory of what he did to her, earlier today. As they stare at each other, she bites her lip and starts to slowly rock her hips against his, grinding against him. A smile blooms upon her lips as she watches his face contort with pleasure, then she gasps in surprise as he starts to grind back against her, pushing up hard enough to lift her slightly.

Hiccup groans as he presses up against her, watching intently with a smile as he sees the pleasured look on her face as she reacts. His breath starts to come more quickly as his mind reels at the prospect of being naughty with Astrid for a second time today. The girl arches her back as she closes her eyes, and he can't help but stare at the rise of her breasts. The two settle into a slow, steady rhythm, both of them moaning now and again.

She leans down to press her lips to his, keeping his hands pinned above his head. There's something intoxicating about being in control like this and it combines deliciously with the feel of Hiccup pressing against her crotch to make her positively light-headed.

His lips greet hers eagerly and he immediately deepens the kiss. They both moan, rubbing their hips together more urgently with every movement. Hiccup tries to free his hands from hers, but she resists, continuing to keep him pinned beneath her. The boy grunts into her mouth with frustration as she smirks against his lips, her tongue entwining playfully with his. She asserts her advantage, continuing to roll her hips against his, grinding herself against his extremely rigid length.

The cave echos with their heavy breathing and moans as they move together, both increasingly frustrated with the clothes that keep them separated. Astrid ponders her dilemia - she can't take off his clothes or hers without freeing his wrists, but she's having a wonderful time keeping him pinned beneath her.

Hiccup settles the matter for her, suddenly rolling her over onto her back. She yelps in surprise as she unwillingly releases him. His hands slide down her arms as she tries to figure out how he did that. He presses himself against her crotch with renewed vigor. Astrid moans throatily into his mouth as her heart surges, and she wraps her legs around his waist, pulling her tightly against him as she moves with his rhythm.

His hands continue to snake down her shoulders and downwards. The girl sucks in her breath as he dares to slide his palms over the curves of her breasts, pressing firmly and squeezing as he lingers there. Hiccup's heart hammers in his chest as he takes a hold of her sweet curves, eagerly cupping her soft mounds in his hands. He feels her nipples harden beneath her top, his thumbs instinctively starting to rub them. The girl squeals against his lips, her whole body stiffening as his touch.

Not to be out done, Astrid moves her hands down his body until she touches his breaches. Before he can react, she's undone the string that holds them in place. He sucks in his breath within the kiss as he feels her fingers slide inside his clothes, her touch hot against his skin. Breaking the kiss, he lifts his head to look at her as she reaches down further and wraps her fingers around his hard shaft. He shivers as her hand grips him firmly. She stares back into his eyes with a half-lidded, lusty gaze, her heart racing as she strokes his length.

Hiccup groans as she caresses him, moving his hand down to cup her crotch. The girl moans at his touch, suddenly very frustrated by the clothing that still separates his touch from her bare flesh. Releasing him, she quickly moves to remedy the matter, blushing profusely yet smiling widely as she feels his hands alongside hers, gripping her pants and skirt, pulling them down just as eagerly. She swallows heavily as she bares herself to him yet again, her heart racing as she feels his hands touch her bare thighs, slowly sliding up towards her body.

Her breathing already ragged, she quickly reclaims his stiff penis, wrapping her fingers about his length eagerly, staring up into his eyes as she starts to stroke him at just the time she feels his fingers part her drenched folds. Hiccup's head is swimming as he again explores her silky, hot flesh, marvelling out how wet she is. He sucks in his breath heavily as he feels her grip and stroke his erection, swallowing as she pumps his length with eager strokes. The boy lays down next to her, wrapping his other arm about her body as he continues to play with her tender folds.

Astrid braces herself as she feels him caress her throbbing flesh, watching him intently as he finds her opening, his fingers tracing around its outside. She whimpers when he slides a finger inside of her, and she squeezes him tightly as her whole body shivers. Hiccup groans heavily at the feel of her hand gripping him tightly as she strokes him, a sensation that blends deliciously with the tightness of her velvet flesh wrapped about his finger. He starts to stroke in and out of her, smiling as Astrid shivers against him, her breath becoming ragged. She stares at him with a heated gaze as she moves her hand faster along his length, squeezing tightly.

The boy slips another finger inside of Astrid and she cries out, struggling to keep her eyes open. Hiccup matches the rhythm of her hand upon his shaft, rockings his fingers in and out of her as he watches her face contort with pleasure. He can feel her body moving against his as they stroke each other, her hot breath spilling over his neck and face as he leans in close, but not enough to kiss. She squeezes him again and he shivers as she keeps up the same pace, both of them panting together as he continues to plunge his fingers deep inside of her. His thumb finds the raised part of her flesh and starts rubbing gently.

Astrid feels her heart hammering in her chest as his thumb rubs that sweetest of spots, her slim body shivering against his as she grips his length, pumping for all she's worth. His brown eyes seem to consume her as he stares at her, his face a portrait of the same passion that's laced with anxiety that she feels in her heart. She shivers as he plunges his fingers deep inside while fondling her with his thumb, a heat building up in her core as she struggles to keep her concentration enough to stroke his length, half smiling in her passion at the look on his face as she does.

Hiccup's breathing comes in heavy gulps as he feels her drawing him to his peak again, and he rubs his fingers inside of her with renewed vigor. Astrid cries out as he does, closing her eyes briefly as the feelings wash over her and she presses her body closer to his. He sucks in his breath as he keeps rubbing with his thumb, watching her as she forces herself to look up at him again, panting as she teeters on the edge.

The sight of her impassioned gaze pushes him over, his penis starting to spasm in her hand as she strokes him hard and fast. "Astrid!" he calls out urgently as she feels his length throbbing in her hand. She swallows heavily, staring at his face as the pleasure overtakes him, then gasps heavily as the boy rubs his thumb faster over her raised mound while his fingers continue to plunge hard and fast into her.

The feel of his fingers inside of her, his warm body pressed against hers, the feel of his penis jerking in her hand as she strokes him and the sight of his pleasured face are all too much. She cries out his name, her body flushing with heat as she rocks her hips against his hand, screaming at the top of her lungs as her drenched and hot flesh spasms around his fingers.

Hiccup cries out hoarsely along with her as he feels her contract around his fingers, all the while his penis spasms in her iron-like grip whileshe strokes him furiously. He leans in and presses his lips to hers as she screams again and again, her body shaking against his like a leaf in a storm. She kisses him passionately as she bucks her hips against his hand, gripping his spasming erection all the more tightly. He tightens his arm about her as they orgasm together, each of them screaming, their bodies shaking against one another.

They both stop at about the same time, pressing their bodies against each other as they tremble, gasping for breath. Their kisses slow but they linger, becoming more tender as they both breathe raggedly against one another. Astrid squeezes him in her hand, earning a shuddering gasp from the boy. She smiles against his lips, but then sucks in her breath with a sqeak as he wriggles his fingers inside of her. He chuckles against her lips as she pouts within the kiss, sighing but not ready to separate just yet.

After a while, he pulls away to look into her eyes. "I thought we weren't going to have an audience the next time we did this," he teases her with a wry grin. She blushes, smirking back at him.

"I couldn't wait that long," she confesses. Hiccup sighs happily as he leans in to press his lips against hers again, kissing deeply as she greets him eagerly. They lie in each other's arms, moaning softly as their tongues entwine, warming each other with their flushed bodies.

Astrid sighs happily as she savors the moment, but then she glances past him to the opening of the cave, catching a glimpse of the lowering sun over the waters. It occurs to her that they'll have to go home very soon. The day is drawing to a close, and they still have to fly back to Berk.

But she doesn't want this to end.

Hiccup's arm tightens about her, pressing her body against his as he comes to the same realization, sensing their time in this magical place to be slipping away. He kisses her more furiously now, his need for her driving him to again claim her lips for his own. Astrid whimpers into the kiss, meeting his passion, wrapping her free arm tightly about his neck as their tongues wrestle fiercely.

Eventually her hand slips away from his now soft penis as his hand pulls away from her sex. They part just enough to look into each other's eyes, both feeling the heavy weight of their upcoming departure.

"I don't want to go," she whispers, stroking his face with her hand.

"Me neither," he answers her, kissing her deeply again. She presses her lips firmly against his, moaning needily into his mouth as he hugs her to him. Her hand slides around behind his head to hold him to her. They passionately and desperately kiss each other, as if they could stop time with a kiss.

They again part, burying their faces into each other's necks. "Just remember, Astrid," he says, "I'm yours, no matter what. We'll just strike out on our own, if we have to…"

She nods firmly at his words, squeezing him tightly. "Promise?" she asks again, her voice weak. It's still amazing to her that he has such a hold on her, but it's as real as anything in this world, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I promise," he whispers in her ear solemnly, kissing her there.

"I promise too," she answers, kissing his neck sweetly.

They hold each other tightly for a while longer, keeping each other as close as they can.

Finally, reluctantly, they slowly start to part, their hearts heavy as they try not to think about what comes next.


	8. Chapter 8

Astrid and Hiccup reluctantly pull out of each other's arms, sitting up with a mind to get ready to leave, as they know they must. They each start to sullenly pull their clothes back on, when Astrid notices something.

"Shit!" she says with panic in her voice, striking Hiccup with fear.

"What's wrong?!" he asks hastily as he looks up at her.

She looks at him with a terrified, angry expression as he instantly sees what the problem is. Her shirt is covered with stains, courtesy of himself. When she looks at him, her expression is becomes even more mortified. Glancing down, he realizes that when they embraced, he picked up some of the fluids on his own shirt.

Hiccup blushes deeply from his ears to his collar as he looks back into her eyes. "Oh Gods, Astrid, I am so sorry," he pleads, suddenly very afraid of her reaction.

"How the Hel am I going to hide this from my parents?!" she asks in a terrified voice.

Hiccup's mind races furiously. Washing is out of the question, it would never dry in time, even if they used a fire. If she were to turn her shirt inside out or backwards, it'd be obvious that something wasn't right. He looks down at his own shirt. It's not nearly as messy, baring only a couple of spots, and his vest is clean.

His vest.

"Here," Hiccup says, taking off his fur vest and shifting towards her so he can help her put it on.

She recoils, looking at him like he's insane. "Hiccup, we're trying to keep you and me a secret!" she shouts, her temper roiling as she panics. "I can't just stroll into my father's house while wearing your vest and pretend nothing happened!"

"Look, this will cover you up until you have a chance to change your shirt," he says. "You've got another, right?" he asks, suddenly worried about that.

Astrid sighs in frustration. "Yes, I've got one or two more that I can change into, but did you hear what I said?" she asks in an furious voice.

He blushes as he feels the guilt for causing this situation. "Well, I think that ship has kinda sailed, Astrid," he says meekly, blushing all the more as she glares angrily at him. "At least if you walk in wearing my vest, then all you have to explain is why you were with me, and why you have my vest." He swallows heavily under her seething glare.

"Would you rather try and explain those stains on your shirt?" he asks.

The girl stares at him angrily, then violently yanks the vest out of his hand. Fuming, she casts her eyes down at her shirt as she puts on the garment and starts to lace the front together, refusing to look at him.

Hiccup sighs heavily, embarassed and ashamed beyond all reason as he watches Astrid. He finishes doing up his own pants and starts to stand up, stumbling again as he feels the sand that's caught in his prosthetic, the grains once more digging into his flesh. His stump has been burning since he tried to get up the first time, and feels worse now. Idly he wonders if he's bleeding, but decides it's better to wait until he gets home to check it.

Pushing through the agony, he forces himself up, leveraging the large rock they had been sitting on. He's thankful that Astrid is too busy with her own troubles to see how his face contorts with the pain. The last thing she probably wants right now is to be bothered with is his disability.

Astrid refuses to look at him as she hops up and finishes pulling her pants and skirt back up, then stalks back over to the rock. Hiccup watches her for a moment as she passes by him without a glance. With a resigned expression, he sullenly turns to hobble back towards Toothless.

His gut churns as he worries about what she's thinking. His teasing her was one thing, but this?

Would she change her mind about him over this?

Astrid grabs her bag, taking the half-eaten food still on the rock and stuffing it forcefully back in the container. She pauses as she looks back over at Hiccup, watching him hobble and struggle through the sand towards Toothless. Wordlessly she watches him, her insides roiling with a mixture of anger and shame over what happened, coupled with fear of what she would now face at home.

As she watches him limp slowly along, her expression softens when she sees him stop for a moment, half crouching to rest his hands on his knees, collecting himself before he trudges onwards. Astrid watches him for a moment more, pensive.

With a heavy sigh, she quickly walks over towards him.

Easily catching up, she puts her arm around him to support him again.

As he feels her arm snake around him, Hiccup looks over to her in shock, swallowing heavily. She glances at him, then quickly looks away while blushing.

"Put your arm over my shoulder,"she mutters, "it'll make this easier."

Wordlessly Hiccup complies, his mind racing as she half carries him to Toothless. The dragon stands up and stretches, watching the two with mild interest.

When he can put his weight against his dragon, Hiccup turns to her, "Astrid, I'm so sor-"

"Shut up," she commands him, not able to look at him. He closes his mouth and grits his teeth, his stomach twisting as he fully expects her to break up with him.

The girl keeps looking down at the sand, moving her foot around, watching the grains sift around her boot as she steels herself.

"Hiccup," she starts, then hesitates as the boy readies himself for what she's about to say.

"I'm…I'm sorry," she says in a strained voice, glancing at him but then looking down again.

"Astrid, I…" he starts to protest, about to try and reason with her why they shouldn't end their relationship over what happened, but then he hesitates as his brain catches up with his mouth. "Wait, what?" he asks.

"I said I'm sorry," she repeats with an even more tense voice, forcing herself to glance up at him and not look away. He looks confused beyond words. "I…I shouldn't have gotten mad at you," she admits sheepishly, looking down again, unable to keep looking into those deep brown eyes of his. "It…wasn't your fault, what…what happened."

Closing her eyes, she hesitates. "If it was anyone's fault, it was mine," she admits, shaking her head ruefully. "I was the one…pulling on the handle…" She glances up at him again, blushing furiously at her own words as she meets his gaze. The boy likewise colors a deep crimson in his cheeks, but smiles sheepishly at her words.

Hesitating, she adds, "I…I was just scared about what I'm going home to, now." The girl sighs in resignation.

Hiccup purses his lips and nervously wraps his arms about her. To his relief, she readily leans into his embrace, sliding her own arms around his waist as she rests her head upon his shoulder. "I"m still terrified, actually," she admits in a voice too small for the warrior girl.

Hiccup sighs as he rubs her back, squeezing her to him. "Astrid, I'm sor-"

"Shut up," she says bitterly again, pulling back to look into his eyes. "I told you, this was my fault."

He grins slightly, "Well, not really. I kinda have more experience in what happens when you, uh…pull on the handle like that," he forces himself to say, and they both again turn a deep scarlet. "I…should have warned you, or…done…something to make sure it didn't, uh…hit you," he says, struggling to keep looking at her as they talk about this.

Astrid too is having difficulty maintaining eye contact, each of them glancing away, but then back again. She refuses to be the one to completely look away. "Well, it's not like…I didn't know what was…coming," she admits sheepishly. "I'd…seen it the last time," she confesses, to which he lifts his brows high upon his forehead. Her cheeks burn as she realizes he hadn't seen her watch him release the first time.

"Besides," she admits, now feeling like she could crawl under a rock from embarassment, "you were a little…preoccupied when it happened, as I recall…" The girl can't help but smile at the smirk that turns his lips, the two still forcing themselves to look into each other's eyes.

"I think we both were," he says, and she goes red all the way to her ears as he grins at her.

After a moment or two, he adds, "that was pretty fun."

"Can't wait to do it again," she admits with a shy smile, giggling as he looks at her with excited eyes.

He blushes all the more, hesitating before he adds, "Maybe next time…with less clothes?" Her eyes grow wide at his suggestion and he hastily adds, "you know…so we don't make another mess that we can't clean up." She smirks knowingly at him, watching him silently as she ponders the offer.

"Deal," she says. The excited look that comes over his face thrills her to no end.

Hiccup can't believe what just happened. He went again from being terrified that she was going to end things to once more realizing how much she loves him. Unable to resist, he leans in and presses his lips to hers, sighing happily as she kisses him back tenderly, lovingly.

Astrid glides her tongue over his lips, smiling as he opens up for her, greeting her with his own. She coos softly into his mouth as they kiss intimately, both of them holding onto each other for all they're worth.

To Hel with her father. He can rant and rave all he wants, the only thing she needs is right here.

Nothing will stand between her and Hiccup, she decides. It's not even a question anymore.

The two kiss for a while, before finally parting. Astrid looks out the mouth of the cave as the sun nears the horizon. "We need to go," she says with a heavy sigh. While she knows it must be done, every fiber of her being is crying out to just stay here with this amazing boy.

"I know," Hiccup laments. His eyes never leave her as she looks outside. He knows the sun was setting, he doesn't need to look away for that. The way the light hits her face makes it perfectly clear, the shadows that play upon her face only highlight her beauty for him, even as they torment him with the knowledge of the imminent departure.

All he needs right now is to savor every moment with this wonderful girl.

A thought suddenly occurs to him, as their farewell looms large. "How soon can I see you again?" he asks urgently as the worry about what comes next washes over him.

Astrid looks back at him as she suddenly shares in his anxiety. She hesitates, thinking about when she might be able to next sneak away.

"How about tomorrow?" she blurts out. As soon as she says it, she realizes she's not sure how she'll manage it, but it doesn't matter. She will make it happen, even if she has to sneak out.

Hiccup thrills at the prospect of such a quick reunion. "Okay, when? First thing in the morning?" he asks eagerly, smiling happily at her. Astrid rolls her eyes.

"I don't think I can slip away that early, Hiccup," she answers with a slight grin. "I'll probably be facing some sort of punishment when my father finds out that I went to see you today." Her gut churns at the prospect of having to explain wearing his jacket, then twists with fear as she wonders if she can keep the stains hidden from her parents.

The boy nods in understanding, a guilty expression crossing his face. "Yeah, sorry about that," he says, only for her to cover his lips with her fingers.

"Would you stop?" she asks with a sigh, looking him in the eyes. "I knew what I was doing when I came to see you." He lift an eyebrow at her words, and she blushes. "Okay, so…I didn't know we were going to do…that…" He smirks at her, causing her to blush all the more.

"Twice," he reminds her with a wicked look in her eyes, and suddenly her insides are all quivering again.

She blushes, looking into his eyes as she rubs her fingers over his lips. "And I loved every minute of it," she whispers, while smiling sweetly at him. "Being with you is worth whatever comes, Hiccup…"

He sighs happily, embracing her again. She hugs him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder, her insides twisting at the knowledge they have to go within minutes.

"Okay then, when and where?" he asks, going back to their original topic.

Astrid considers it for a moment. "Tomorrow night, after sunset, at Toothless' cove," she says, after trying to think of the best place for them to have some privacy and elude anyone who might try and follow them. "Just you and me. We should leave our dragons at home," she adds as an afterthought.

"That makes sense," he answers, rubbing his hands over her back. "I can't wait until then," he says with a heavy sigh.

"Me neither," she whispers, leaning in to press her lips against his. He meets her eagerly, kissing passionately and deeply as they embrace tightly, very much in love and very fearful of what will happen when they go back to Berk.

They linger for a long time, longer than they should, until Astrid finally pulls away abruptly. She doesn't dare look at Hiccup. One glimpse into those gorgeous brown eyes of his and she'd be back in his arms again, second guessing her decision to go back home tonight. Tears sting her eyes as he hastily makes her way to Stormfly.

"I love you," she hears Hiccup call out, his voice twinging with desperate need. She looks over at him as she reaches her dragon, her eyes glistening. She can see from here he's also on the verge of tears.

"I love you too, Hiccup," she says sincerly as she stares at him intently, her heart aching. "I'll see you tomorrow night, I promise." He nods resolutely, the both of them then mounting their dragons.

She calls to him, "Follow me until we're a couple of miles out from Berk, then we should split up."

He nods, sighing heavily but adding, "Good idea. I'll circle around to come in from the other side of the island, so it doesn't look like we're coming from the same place.

She nods resolutely, though she crumbles on the inside at the prospect of separating from him, even for just a day. It probably wouldn't be so bad if things were more certain at home, but there was a very real chance that her father would try keep her from seeing him tomorrow night.

She wonders if he would actually lock her up.

"I love you," she suddenly calls out, feeling the same desperation that Hiccup must have just experienced.

"I love you too, Astrid," he says with a heartfelt voice. The look on his face makes her want to jump off the back of her dragon and run to him. Gritting her teeth, she looks away and urges Stormfly out of the cave and up into the sky. Glancing back, she sees the black shadow that carries her lover up behind them.

She swallows heavily as she steers her companion towards Berk, fighting in vain the tears that come anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

*****AUTHOR'S NOTE*****

**This chapter makes reference to Thorsten Hofferson, who is Astrid's father (introduced in Chapter 4). **

**As it turns out, Thorsten is also the last name of the twins, a fact I did not realize when I chose the name of Astrid's father. The twins don't feature prominently into my story, so I haven't yet taken much time to research them.**

**At this point, I'm going to stick with Thorsten for her father's name, in spite of the confusion. My apologies to any readers who were bewildered by this mistake. Hopefully, my story is still enjoyable! :-)**

**Thanks for your understanding, I hope you have fun reading Unplanned! :-D**

* * *

With a heavy heart, Hiccup follows behind Astrid for the flight home. It might be his imagination, but their journey back seems longer than when they first flew out. As they near the end of their journey, the sun slips below the waves. Thankfully, the moon is waxing and will be full in a few days, so there's enough light for them to see the rest of the way home.

The boy's heart is a tumultuous mix of emotions, swirling about like the storms that sometimes ravage their home. On the one hand, he feels deeply saddened at having to part from Astrid, especially given the uncertainty they are flying back to. He feels shame and guilt for making an already difficult situation more problematic, by his…mess that she now wears on her shirt, hidden beneath his vest. Hiccup dreads what he is sending her home to and feels like a failure, that he's only made matters worse.

On the other hand, he is ecstatic beyond all words that his wildest dream have come true.

Astrid loves him. She loves him so completely that she's ready to run away with him, if it comes to that. The entire trip home, he keeps reminding himself of that, even as he becomes more worried about what is to come as they fly closer to Berk.

Hiccup glances out towards the horizon and sees the bonfires burning brightly in the outer markers of Berk that jut out from the tumultuous sea. He's about to call out to Astrid that he's going to head north, when she turns back to wave at him and point in that direction. He waves back and nods, crouching down on Toothless as he urges the dragon on.

"Okay, bud. Let's go home," he says.

The dragon rolls his head with determination at the command, glad to finally push forward to pass the Nadder. The Night Fury had been frustrated the entire trip back, his boy having kept him from racing ahead of the blue dragon and her rider. Now that he has the chance to really stretch his wings, he takes full advantage.

Hiccup holds on tightly as the two quickly gain on Astrid and Stormfly, the girl watching with a growing smile as they approach. The two teens stare into each other's eyes as they get closer

"I love you!" Astrid calls out once their dragons wings were almost touching.

"I love you too," he answers, swallowing heavily. "Tomorrow night!" he reminds her.

"I'll be there, I promise!" she says, gripping her saddle tightly as they linger for another moment or two.

Gritting her teeth, Astrid veers away from Hiccup as she tears her gaze away from him, tears again stinging her eyes. The flight back had been a mixture of heartbreak and fear for her, as she dreaded both the time away from her love and the prospect of facing her father. Once Stormfly is on her new course, the girl astride her back glances behind to watch as Hiccup and Toothless finish their turn and quickly disappear from sight, swallowed up into the night sky as they soar away.

The boy likewise looks back as they part, watching the girl he loves for as long as he can before turning forward once more to focus on their final leg home. It takes him a few minutes to fly around the island so that he can make his descent from the northern side of Berk. During the entire trip, he looks about constantly, watching to see if anyone is out flying that might spot him. The skies are clear, which is what he expected. Of the vikings now flying on Berk, few were daring enough to yet venture out at night.

Hiccup guides Toothless down from the skies to his home, the dragon landing in their backyard, as usual. The boy unbuckles and starts to dismount, stiff and sore from the hour or so of riding in the cold, though he pauses with a grin to consider how much better he feels inside than he did last night, when he made a similar landing after a likewise long flight.

He marvels at how much had changed in just one day.

Sighing happily at the memories of the day he just spent with Astrid, the boy finds himself jolted back to reality as he puts his weight on the prosthetic, a dull pain burning in his stump. He sucks in his breath sharply, wincing as he waits for the hurt to subside. He needs to get in and see what the damage is.

First, though, he realizes he needs to feed Toothless. He hobbles over to the back of the house where they keep the wicker baskets that they use to store the dragon's supply of fish. With a grunt, he tugs on the rim and manages to tip it over, spilling the fish over the ground. His father won't be happy that Toothless is eating right outside the door, but there was no way that Hiccup could move the basket with the pain he was feeling in his stump.

Toothless growls happily at the sight of his dinner, jumping forward to help himself to the slimy pile of fish. The boy smiles at the sight, rubbing his dragon's neck. "That's it, bud, you enjoy yourself," he tells the feasting lizard, who completely ignores him as he scarfs down fish after fish.

Sighing, Hiccup turns around and hobbles the short distance to the door, wondering what food might be around for his dinner, but then pauses as he hears voices from the other side. Furrowing his brow, he waits as he listens, trying to make out what they were saying. He can't understand the words, but he quickly recognizes his father's voice, and what sounds like Gobber. A third man is in the room, but Hiccup can't identify him. His heart jumps into his throat as he worries it might be Astrid's father.

Gritting his teeth, Hiccup braces himself for the worst and opens the door.

The warmth and light of the firepit in the center of the room washes over the boy as he steps inside, the men falling silent and turning to look at him. Hiccup's gaze immediately falls upon Stoic and Gobber, confirming his expectations, then move to the third.

Vali Jorgensen.

What is Snoutlout's father doing here?

"Hey guys," Hiccup greets them with a nervous half smile as the three men look at him darkly. "What's, uh…what's going on?" he asks as he starts to shut the door, though they way they look at him makes him feel like he should leave it open, just in case he needs a quick exit.

"Son," Stoic says sternly, "we need to talk."

* * *

Astrid guides her dragon towards Berk, clenching her teeth as she fights back the tears. She feels foolish. It's not like they don't live in the same village, a mere ten minute walk from each others' house.

But then again, her father had forbidden her to see him, and he will likely be angry beyond reason when she walks in while wearing the boy's vest. She swallows bitterly while she guides Stormfly down towards her house, her sadness at leaving Hiccup now eclipsed by both her fear about what's to come and her apprehension as she realizes she has no idea how she'll try and explain the vest.

As the blue dragon lands behind her house, kicking up a strong breeze, Astrid decides she won't deny anything. She doesn't like the idea of lying anyway, even if it's to her unreasonable, miserable father.

The girl hops down from the back of her dragon once they've landed, stroking the creature's neck and quietly telling her what a good girl she's been. The dragon trills appreciatively, bringing a smile to Astrid's lips in spite of what she now faces.

Walking over to the backdoor, Astrid picks up a wicker basket of fish, carrying the heavy load to her dragon, which bobs its head excitedly.

"Are you hungry?" the girl quietly asks the cobalt dragon, which continues to bob its head happily, starting to stomp its feet in anticipation. "Yes you are, yes you are!" Astrid continues to coo at the creature, smiling as she dumps the contents on the ground between them.

The dragon instantly dives in and scoops a fish, swallowing it whole before proceeding to another. The teen standing before the large lizard smiles sublimely as she watches it eat for a moment. Then, with a sigh she trudges back to the house. Setting the basket down from where she picked it up, Astrid then turns to the door.

She hesitates, gritting her teeth at the prospect of facing her father. The closed portal looms large before her, feeling like the door to Hel, instead of her home. Taking a deep breath, Astrid grabs the handle and opens the door firmly, striding in with resolute determination to face whatever may come.

The girl walks into the small house, the light and warmth of the fire washing over her as she crosses the threshold and closes the door behind her. She looks into the room and sees her father and mother sitting opposite each other around the fire. Both of them stare intently into the flames, neither looking up at her. Astrid grits her teeth as she looks at her mother's face and realizes she's been crying.

The teen can guess why. She's seen this before.

Turning her gaze to the man who sired her, she glares at him with hatred. The large, burly man says nothing, he merely pokes the fire with a long iron rod as he looks into the flames. The girl waits, the tension in the room growing with every passing second.

"You're wearing his vest," he says to her, his voice level and calm.

Immediately Astrid's gut twists anxiously inside, though she fights to keep her anxiety from being visible.

"Yes," she answers simply, hoping now that her decision to not lie was a wise one.

Silence follows. The girl standing by the door grits her teeth as she waits.

"So you went to see him," he says, his voice heavy with accusation.

She swallows. "I told you I was going to," she answers bitterly. "My saddle needed to be fixed."

"And that took all day?" he asks immediately, his eyes never leaving the fire. His voice was cold and hostile, full of anger that roiled just beneath the surface.

"No," she answers simply, deciding not to elaborate. It was rare that Astrid saw him like this, it certainly wasn't what she had expected to come home to. Bellowing, shouting, throwing things, and threatening, perhaps. Those things she was used to and knew how to handle, but this?

This scares her more than all of the rest.

Again, the silence.

"It doesn't matter," he says resolutely. "I'm putting an end to this matter. In a few days, maybe a week, it will all be settled."

Astrid frowns, fear suddenly welling up in the pit of her gut.

"What do you mean?" she asks, annoyed as her voice cracks and betrays her emotions.

* * *

"What do we need to talk about, Dad?" Hiccup asks, suddenly very nervous that his father was starting an apparently very weighty topic with Gobber and Vali sitting along with him around the fire.

"Come and sit down," Stoic answers, waving the boy in as he watches him with a stern gaze.

Hiccup swallows nervously at the command, but wordlessly complies, wincing as he puts weight upon his stump again, hobbling over with a severe limp to the spot betweeh his father and Gobber. The smith lifts an eyebrow as he watches the boy make his way.

"Something wrong with your leg, Hiccup?" he asks with concern.

"I, uh," the teen hesitates, "I got some sand between my stump and my new leg," he answers, adding, "It's been kinda irritating me."

The smith frowns slightly. "You'd better take it off so we can make sure you're alright," he says.

With a sigh, Hiccup nods and starts to unbuckle the straps that hold his leg in place, rather glad to be removing the metal from his body. He was typically sore at the end of the day, but today is far worse than usual.

"Son," Stoic begins as his son works to remove his leg, "I had a talk today with Astrid's father."

Hiccup freezes, swallowing heavily. "Really?" he asks, forcing himself to continue undoing his leg, wincing as the metal starts to separate from his stump with a sickeningly wet sound.

"Aye," the large man answers. Hiccup feels the three mens' eyes upon him as he focuses on his leg. The boy's father continues, "He told me that he had forbidden the girl t'see you…"

Hiccup grits his teeth, the pain he feels in his leg mingling with the twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach as he removes his leg, the action causing him to suck in his breath. His father falls silent as the boy reveals the bloodied end of his stump. Hiccup stares at the wound with a shocked expression. The scarred flesh covering the end of his stump is torn and jagged, and stings all the more when the air hits it.

"Aye, that's what I thought," Gobber says with a sigh, standing up and hobbling over to the door. "I'll be right back," he says as he opens up the portal. "I need t'get some water t'clean his stump with," he says with a glance at Stoic, who nods. The smith disappears, closing the door behind him.

Hiccup looks at his leg, still dumbfounded. It had hurt, but he didn't realize it was this bad.

"Here," his father tells him as he gets up and walks into the house, coming back with a clean rag. "Use this t'start getting yerself cleaned up," he says, sitting down as his son wordlessly obeys. Hiccup sucks in his breath as he gently places the fabric on the wound, his mind spinning as he waits for his father to resume their discussion.

"So, did you know about what her father told me?" he asks after Hiccup has a few moments to start the process. The boy looks up at his father, then glances at Vali briefly, still wondering why he's here.

He glances back at Stoic and explains, "I didn't know until today. She told me after we were out on our flight." Looking down at his leg, he continues to tenderly pat at his wound, using the fabric to soak up the blood. There's a lot of dried, clotted bits amongst the moist surface of his stump, making the effort to clean himself a difficult one.

Stoic nods, "that's good," he says, adding "Now that y'know, don' be going off t'see her again." Hiccup scowls at this, but says nothing. He's not about to stop seeing Astrid, just because his father has forbidden him now, too.

Just then, the door opens and Gobber returns, carrying a bucket full of water. Stoic looks up at the smith, the two men nodding to each other. The chief then galnces over at Vali, who nods.

"Son," Stoic goes on to say, "Vali here was approached by Astrid's father…"

Hiccup looks up at his father with concern at both what he said and the tone of his voice.

"What about?" Hiccup asks nervously, fear creeping into his heart.

"Her father wants Vali to sign a contract for Astrid to marry Snoutlout…"

* * *

"What do you mean, 'it will all be settled', father?" Astrid spits the last word as she asks again with an anxious voice, her body tensing as she suspects what the answer will be.

Her father still says nothing for another moment or two as he pokes at the fire. "I've asked Vali Jorgenson to write up a marriage contract for you and Snoutlout," he answers flatly, as if he were talking about the weather. Astrid's heart twists painfully in her heart as she absorbs the news.

"What?" she asks, her voice cracking. Clearing her throat, she swallows heavily, asking, "what did he say?"

"He said he'd stop by tomorrow to talk about it, but I suspect that he'll probably have a contract in hand," he answers, his gaze flicking to his daughter as he grins slightly. The girl stares at him with a shocked expression as a feeling of numbness chills her inside. She glances over at her mother, who stares intently into the fire.

At least Astrid knows now exactly why her mother had been crying.

Looking back at her father's leering smile, she says adamantly, "I don't want to marry him."

"I know what you want," her father answers with a disgusted voice, meeting her gaze with a glare of hatred. "But you'll do what I say," he commands. "I am still your father, even if you chose to consort with my enemy," he says with a stern voice, scowling at her in disapproval.

"Hiccup isn't your enemy," she insists, standing firm under his gaze. "He's an amazing…"

"He's the son of my enemy, and that makes him my enemy," her father interrupts her, raising his voice for the first time since she got home.

Now this was familiar. This, she knew how to deal with.

"Funny, I thought we were all part of the same tribe," she says with a bitterly sarcastic voice. "That the enemy was out there!" she says loudly, jabbing her finger towards a random wall.

"Yes, the enemy was out there, then the spawn of Stoic went and brought them in here!" He says, jabbing his finger down at the floor, his voice rising to a near shout as his blood starts to boil, as she knew it would.

"Dragons aren't the enemy either, father!" she exclaims, matching his volume with her own, taking a step forward as she stares into his eyes.

"What would you know about who is our enemy?" he roars, jumping to his feet as his daughter glares at him. "You didn't spend your entire life fighting for our home and our village, only for our chief," he spits the word, "to betray us all and befriend the beasts because his cripple, weakling son told him to!"

"That's not what happened, and you know it!" she shouts back, balling her hands up into fists. "You were there with the rest of us!" she yells passionately, "you know that Hiccup and Toothless saved all of us from our own stupidity!"

"Mind your place, girl!" her father bellows, taking a step towards her as he grips the fire poker more tightly in his hand.

"Oh, did I hit too close to the truth!?" she asks bitterly, refusing to back down.

"SILENCE!" he shouts at the top of his lungs. "You WILL marry who I say, and you WILL show me respect, child!"

"Or what?" she asks quietly, unyielding in her stance and attitude.

Thorsten stares daggers back at his daughter as she continues to challenge him, her gaze into his eyes one of pure hatred. He huffs silently for a few moments, before laughing.

"There is no 'or' anything, child," he says contemptuously. "I am your father, and by the law, you will marry who I sign a contract for, even if I have to drag you to the altar in chains."

Astrid clenches her fists so tightly it hurts. Her insides twist sickeningly as she feels fear mixed with loathing. She trembles as she stares at him with unbridled hatred, willing him to die on the spot. Her father merely laughs softly at her vitriolic, yet mute reaction.

"Go to bed, daughter," he tells her. "You've caused enough trouble for one day."

* * *

Hiccup blanches at the news. "Dad, you can't let…"

"Silence, Hiccup!" his father barks sternly, flicking a glance at Vali, who grins with an understanding look.

Stoic nods at this, sharing a fleeting glance with Gobber. The smith sits himself back down beside Hiccup, setting down the buckets and taking a clean rag he brought in with him from the laundry line outside.

"Now then, this is going to sting a little," he says as he washes the cloth and starts to more roughly clean the stump. Hiccup hisses in pain, gripping the bench he sits on as he struggles to stay still for Gobber.

"What, doesn't Astrid get any say in this?!" Hiccup asks in frustration, his voice tight as Gobber works on his wound.

"She does if Thorsten says she does," Stoic says plainly. Hiccup's heart sinks.

"Dad, but…you're chief, you can stop this…!" Hiccup says emphatically, causing Stoic to stand up suddenly.

"That's ENOUGH Hiccup!" he bellows furiously, glaring at his son. The boy falls quiet, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Don' disrespect our guest by talking like that in front of 'im!" Stoic says sternly. "I can't jest tell Vali he can't pursue this contract if that's what he and Thorsten want ta do." He sighs as he watches Hiccup fume in his seat as Gobber finishes washing the wound and the smith then reaches for a bottle of whiskey sitting on the table.

Gobber looks up at the chief, who nods and then waits as the smith douses another clean rag with the pungeunt liquid. Before Hiccup can react, Gobber applies it to the boy's wounded stump. The three men wait quietly as the boy cries out in pain, gripping the bench until his knuckles are white.

"There, that's over lad," Gobber tells him quietly as he takes a fresh cloth and starts to wrap the leg and stump with it.

"Hiccup," his father starts again, his voice more compasionate.

"It's alright, Stoic," Vali says, finally breaking his silence. "I can understand the boy's frustration," he says.

"No, you can't," Hiccup says to the large viking. "I love her, Dad," Hiccup tells him passionately.

"We know, son," he says with an understanding chuckle that the two other men join in. "Everybody knows how you feel about her," he says, when Hiccup interrupts.

"But Dad, she loves me too!" he says emphatically, shifting in his seat with anxious frustration, wishing he could stand up.

The three men look at him with surprised expressions. "Does she now?" Stoic asked with serious interest.

"Yes," Hiccup says plaintively. "She told me so today," he says, cutting himself off before he says too much.

"When you went out for your flight together?" the large man asks with a playful grin. "What did she do, shout it t'you while you two soared among th'clouds?"

"No, Dad," Hiccup says, growing a little nervous. "We…landed and, uhm…we spent the day together," he says, trying to leave out as much detail as possible.

"You spent the day with her, did'ja?" he asks softly. The three men watch Hiccup intently, making the boy squirm in his seat.

"Uhm…yeah," Hiccup answers.

Silence. Hiccup looks down at the floor, wishing he had never come home.

"What did th'two of you do, I wonder?" his father asks. Hiccup only blushes and refuses to look at any of them. His father sighs.

"Hiccup, did you…?" his father asks, hesitating at the end.

"It's not what you think, Dad," he says at that, forcing himself to look up at his father. "We didn't do…that…"

His father looks at him intently, asking, "but you did do…something…?" He hesitates, lifting an eyebrow.

"Oh Gods," Hiccup laments, looking down again as he blushes furiously. In doing so, he misses the knowing look that the three men share.

"Well, we don't need more details than you've given us," Stoic says, then looks back over at Vali. "I'm sorry, my friend, it seems like my son has already done some damage to Astrid's purity."

Vali chuckles. "Oh, I don't mind," he says with a grin, "the boy didn't completely ruin her for Snoutlout," he says with a shrug. Hiccup looks up at him, stunned by his words. "Hel, this is actually good, now I can negotiate Thorsten down on the bride price," he says, looking over at Hiccup as the boy stares at him in shocked disbelief. "I suppose I should actually thank you for that, boy," he says with a smile.

Anger wells up inside of Hiccup at the man's words, and he opens his mouth to let loose with a furious tirade, but the combination of Gobber's hand on his shoulder and his father's words stop him.

"Make sure you hammer him down but good, Vali," Stoic says, to which Vali nods. "In fact, you might even be able to negotiate an increase of the dowry," he ponders, tugging on his beard in thought. Hiccup looks on in stunned silence as his father joins Snoutlout's father in planning the negotation for Astrid.

"Aye, I think you might be onto something there," Vali says, the two men sharing a wry grin.

Hiccup looks on in disbelief, emotionally drained as he realizes that his father is not only going to allow this, but he seems to be encouraging it.

"Well," Vali says as he stands up, "I should be going." He walks over to Stoic and the two clasp forearms firmly, looking intently at one another. "Thanks for inviting me over, Stoic," he says.

Hiccup's father nods in answer, "Always glad t'have ya, Vali," he says. "And thank you for agreeing t'this." Vali grins smugly as Stoic does the same, the two nodding.

"A pleasure, Stoic," he says as the two part and he makes his way to the door. "I think this'll work out just fine…" The man opens the door and disappears into the night, closing it behind him.

"I can't believe you, Dad," Hiccup says as soon as Snoutlout's father is gone. "You actually want this to happen?!" he asks, his rage starting to boil inside.

Stoic glances back at Hiccup, looking at his son with a considering gaze. "No, I don't," he says plainly.

"Then what was all that about?!" Hiccup asks frantically, his emotions overwhelming him. "You just said you asked Vali to agree to it! You were talking with him about how to haggle for a better bride price for Astrid, the woman I love!" the boy is shouting by the time he finishes.

Stoic shares a glance with Gobber, then looks back at the boy. "Son, you don't know the whole story here," he says.

"Well please, tell me!" he says in a desperate voice, tears coming to his eyes as he tries to fight them back.

Stoic shakes his head. "No," he tells his son. "Not until the time is right."

Hiccup looks at his father incredulously. "When would that be, when Astrid and Snoutlout are married?!" he asks, his voice choking on the last word.

The man looks back at Hiccup sternly, answering simply, "You need to trust me on this one, Hiccup."

"Why should I trust you, since you're encouraging Vali to do this?" Hiccup asks desperately.

"Like I said," his father answers, "you don't know everything."

Hiccup closes his eyes, swallowing bitterly. "Dad, please…just…tell Vali that he can't do this. Go to Thorsten and tell him you want to sign a contract for me and Astrid."

Stoic shakes his head, sighing, "Oh, son…d'ye think it's that simple?" he asks. Hiccup clenches his teeth as his father continues, "th'girls father has forbidden her to see you. Why would he want to sign a contract with me for th'two of you t'wed?"

"But…but you're the chief," Hiccup answers, his voice small and weak.

The great viking sighs again, smiling at his son with a sympathetic, understanding gaze. "Aye, that's true," he says, "but th'men and women of this tribe don' follow me 'cause I order them to." He pauses, looking at his son intently. "They follow me because they want to," he explains. "Because they respect me and look up t'me." He pauses, and then asks, "how much d'ye think they'll still respect me if I put a stop t'this contract that Thorsten and Vali want t'pursue, jest because my son is in love with Astrid?"

Hiccup swallows, looking down as his father continues. "Don' forget," he says, "Thorsten still wants t'be chief. If I were to deny him this, that'd be jest the excuse he and his followers need t'challenge me fer leadership of th'tribe." Hiccup's shoulders slump in defeat as he listens.

Stoic gets up from his bench and sits next to Hiccup, looking at Gobber, who still sits on the other side of the boy. The two share a troubled glance as the chief then returns his attention to his son. "I need you to trust me on this one, son," he says.

The boy looks up at him with a furrowed brow, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Stoic goes on, "I should have listened you before, when you were tryin' to tell me and the village what you'd learned of dragons," he admits. "I should have trusted you then. If I had, maybe ye'd still have yer leg. "

Hiccup swallows, about to say something when his father continues. "I can't change that now, but I can make it up to you in other ways," he says. Hiccup's brow furrows in confusion at his words. "I know what you want, and I know what'll make you happy," he says, placing a hand upon his son's shoulder. The boy's expression is one of confusion and contemplation, as he considers his father's words. "But I need you to trust me now. I've been chief for a long time. I know how t'play these games," he says, with a glance at Gobber, who smirks knowingly.

Hiccup starts to get excited. "So…you're going to try and fix this?" he asks eagerly.

Looking back down at him with a stern expression, Stoic asks, "What're you talking about, Hiccup?" he asks as he stands up, towering over the small lad. "I jest told y'before, I can't get in the way of Vali and Thorsten pursuing that contract," he says with a shrug. "It's between them whether'r not they sign it."

Hiccup looks thoughtful at his father's words, looking down as he considers them. Stoic frowns, then says warningly, "Don' you be getting any ideas," he says, his words drawing Hiccup's gaze back up to him. "You stay well away from both of them, an' don't do anything t'interfere…!" Hiccup swallows guiltily as he nods sullenly. "Make sure Astrid doesn't either," he further warns.

Hiccup furrows his brow, "but…I'm not supposed to see her," he says in confusion.

Stoic nods, "That's right, and don't you forget it…!" he says sternly. Hiccup isn't sure because of the beard, but he thinks his father might be smirking. "Now, get yerself t'bed, ye've had enough excitement for one day, I'll wager."

Hiccup reaches for his leg, but Gobber takes it before the boy can lay a hand on it. "Oooh no, ya don'," he says, getting up and putting the leg on the nearby table. "Ye're in no shape t'be wearing that thing again for a while," he says.

"But…Gobber, how am I going to get around?" he asks, suddenly feeling very naked without his leg.

The smith hobbles over to the corner and picks up the crutch that Hiccup had used in the first few days of getting used to his new leg. The boy scowls as he sees the simple wooden pole, adorned only with a handle about two thirds up and topped with a contoured bar for his shoulder. Hiccup looks up at the smith.

"Don' look at me like that," the man says as walks back over. "Ye're the one who went and did this t'yerself." Hiccup frowns all the more and looks down. "Why didn' ya just take yer leg off and remove th'sand?" he asks with a lifted eyebrow.

Hiccup hesitates. "I…" he sighs, "I guess I didn't want Astrid to see me without my leg," he says. The smith sighs as he offers the cruch to Hiccup, who takes the hated support with clenched teeth.

"Well, that was foolish," he says, "now look where y'are." Hiccup refuses to look at him as the smith sets the crutch down and uses it to heft himself up. "D'ye really think she cares about yer missing leg, Hiccup?" the smith asks. Hiccup glances up at the man, blushing slightly as he shrugs.

"I dunno," he says with a sigh, looking down.

He pauses, "How long until I can use my leg again?" he asks, looking back at Gobber, who shrugs.

"Oh, probably in about a week or so, maybe more," he says. Hiccup's shoulders slump as the smith continues, "You need t'give yerself time t'heal, now." Gobber grins, "but don' think this means you get out of coming t'work t'morrow," he warns, shaking a thick finger at the boy. "Yer not gettin' two days off in a row!"

Hiccup sighs, nodding at the man. He sullenly makes his way to the stairs, his journey puncuated by the tapping of his crutch. Upon reaching the stairs, he climbs up slowly, needing to crawl, being without the use of his one leg. The two men below watching him in silence.

"G'night Dad, Gobber," he says as he disappears up above.

"G'night son," his father answers as Gobber likewise bids the boy good night, the two waiting until he disappears.

"Well, Stoic," the smith says, "time for me to be goin' home, m'self," he says, making his way to the front door.

"Aye," the chief says as he walks with his friend to the exit. "Thanks fer yer help t'night," he says sincerly as the two clasp forearms.

"Ach, t'is nothin'," the smith says with a wide grin. "I love th'boy like he were me own kin. I'll always be there t'help ye with him," he says. Stoic nods appreciatively. The smith lingers for a moment, then asks in a whisper, "So d'ya think this'll really work?"

Stoic grins from ear to ear, chuckling. "Oh, aye," he says just as quietly. "That it will."


	10. Chapter 10

Astrid lay in bed, wide awake. She had tossed and turned for the last couple of hours as she worried about how her worst fears had been realized. In addition to her father disapproving of Hiccup and forbidding her from seeing him, he had now taken steps to see her married to someone else. The fact that he had chosen Snoutlout only adds insult to injury, though really, anyone her father chose that wasn't Hiccup would have angered and upset her.

She'd never go through with it, of course.

Hiccup had said they would run away if they had to…well, it looked like they had to.

That should be enough for her, but still she can't sleep. It's one thing to say they would run away, but it was a different matter entirely to actually follow through with it. They would have to cut all ties from the people they knew and loved, to leave forever the place they had always called home.

She doesn't care, in the end. If that's what it takes to be with him, then that's what she'll do.

But she can't help feeling a little terrified.

Suddenly she wonders if he would really go through with it. If she feels this scared about running off, now that it was a certainty, what will he feel?

Will he actually do it?

Astrid sits up in her bed and sighs. There is no chance of getting to sleep, she's such a bundle of raw nerves. Suddenly she comes to a realization. The only thing that will make her feel better is to see Hiccup again. She needs to tell him what's happened. She needs to make sure that he meant everything he said, that they would run away together.

She needs to know that he won't leave her.

The girl gets out of bed, sheds her nightgown and pulls on a fresh tunic. Hastily she pulls her leggings and skirt on, then slips on her boots. She puts on her hairband, but doesn't bother doing anything else with her long hair, which flows freely down her back since she brushed out her braid out in her nightly ritual before going to bed. Moving to the window, she pauses and listens intently.

On the other side of the one-room house, she can hear her parents' steady breathing as they sleep behind the heavy drapes that section off their bed from the rest of the cramped house.

Nodding to herself, Astrid turns to the small window and opens up the shudders. One of the hinges squeaks noisily, causing her to flinching. She freezes, listening intently for her parents.

After a few moments, without any sound from within the house, she breathes a silent sigh of relief, then opens the shudders the rest of the way and lifts herself out through the window. As soon as her feet hit the ground on the other side, she closes the shudders again, wincing as the one hinge again squeaks. She hesitates once more, listening for a sound from the inside.

After the space of several breaths, Astrid relaxes and turns on her heel, dashing from her house as quietly as she can manage. She runs through the streets, keeping to the shadows while making her way to the hill upon which Stoic's mansion sits. As she gets near, she takes the long way around, so that she can stick to the trees and approach the house from the back.

Upon reaching the imposing structure, she suddenly realizes the flaw in her plan. She's never been in the chief's home and has no idea where Hiccup sleeps. The girl hesitates, seriously considering turning back, but the gnawing anxiety in her gut urges her onward, even as the risk of discovery weighs more heavily upon her.

She has to see Hiccup, to tell him what her father has done.

She needs to know that he meant what he said, that he'd run away with her.

She can't lose him. Not now, after everything they've shared.

The girl dashes over to the house, sprinting and making barely a sound. When she reaches the large building, she looks around. The large structure looms above her, leaving her feel small and intimidated. Clenching her teeth, she searches for a window.

After a minute or two of searching, she's almost ready to give up when suddenly the glint of metal in the moonlight up high on the roof catches her eye. Squinting to try and make it out, she realizes that it's the hinges for a pair of shudders.

Astrid looks around and realizes the decorative wood carvings on the corners of the house are ideal for climbing. Without a moment's hesitation, she scurries up the vertical column, easily making her way to what must be the second story. The roof curves in as she climbs upwards, sloping to the point where she can walk across it, if not with some difficulty.

Slowly she creeps across the curved roof of the mansion, making her way to the shudders. With each careful step she hesitantly shifts her weight from one foot to the other, fearing the timbers beneath her might creak to give her away. Somehow, miraculously, she reaches the window without causing a sound. Her gut churns nervously as she suddenly realizes how foolish this is. For all she knows, Stoic is asleep on the other side of these shudders.

He may even be awake behind them.

Once more, she hesitates, thinking of just sliding down the roof and running home. Then she thinks of laying back down in her bed, alone, without having seen or spoken to Hiccup, without finding out for certain that he wasn't going to abandon her to the wedding that her father planned to force her into.

Steeling herself, she places her fingers between the shudders and slowly starts to lift the one.

A small yet very audible creak accompanies her action, causing her to freeze as she winces, her heart jumping into her throat. Grimacing, she waits, listening for any sound from inside. All she can hear is the wind gently rustling the leaves of the trees near the house and the hammering of her heart in her chest.

Bracing herself again, she finishes opening the one shudder. Moonlight spills in through the window, giving Astrid her first glimpse inside.

With the curve of the roof, the window is on the lower part of the arched ceiling of the small, second story room. A closed door is on the wall opposite to the window that she looks down through. Against the wall to her left is a table, which sits in the bulk of the moonlight. The surface is cluttered with papers that are covered with strange drawings and various notes, along with a couple of books and charcoal pencils.

Astrid smiles at the sight, her heart skipping in excitement as she realizes this must be Hiccup's room.

Opposite the table is a bed, mostly hidden in the shadows. Though it is shrouded in darkness, the girl can see that someone lays in it, curled up under its covers. Astrid leans in slightly, peering intently at the bed as she tries to see exactly who is there, though she has little doubt at this point. Holding her breath for a moment, she waits to let her vision adjust to the shadows while staring at the bed.

The sleeping figure moves, allowing her to see how small the person is. Her smile blooms as she sees the familiar mop of brown hair. Sighing a breath of relief and thinking a quick prayer of thanks to Freya, Astrid opens the other shudder. The window is just wide enough for her to squeeze through. Gripping the frame, she lowers herself into the room, careful not to make a sound as she drops the last half a foot to the floor.

Astrid takes the few steps needed to reach the bed, entering into the shadows. Her lips bloom into a sweet smile as her eyes adjust and she starts to see Hiccup more clearly. In the dim light, she can just make out the features of his face. The lad's expression is tranquil and relaxed. His body moves ever so slightly with his slow and soft breathing as he rests in a deep sleep.

The girl hesitates, feeling guilty for waking him with bad news when he looks so peaceful, but she's come too far to turn back now. Kneeling down by his bed, Astrid leans in close, taking a moment to just listen to him breathe. Staring at him, she brushes his hair from his face. She savors the moment while considering how to wake him quietly, her brow furrowing in thought.

A pleased smile crosses her lips as she quickly makes her decision. With the tips of her fingers, she strokes his cheek tenderly and leans in to press her lips to his, kissing him sweetly.

At first, the boy doesn't move. Then, each breath becomes deeper as she rubs her lips tenderly against his. Soon she's rewarded with a soft, tender moan as she continues to kiss him. Daringly the girl slides her tongue over his lips, pleased beyond reason when he opens up for her. She immediately deepens the kiss, exploring as he stirs, his lips finally starting to respond. Her hand strokes his cheek firmly now as she kisses him deeply, and she sucks in her breath as she feels him greet her tongue with his own. The boy kisses back now, though his movements are sluggish and slow.

Astrid feels his hand covering hers upon his cheek as they kiss, the boy's movements becoming more responsive with each passing moment. Hiccup's hand squeezes hers, then slides up to stroke her hair, his fingers entwining into her freely flowing tresses, wrapping around to hold the back of her head and press her to him. He kisses her intently and the girl moans softly against his lips. She feels like jelly inside, sighing happily against his lips, savoring the sweet kiss for a while until finally, reluctantly, the girl finally pulls back just enough to look into his eyes. Hiccup smiles dreamily at her as he sighs happily, his hand moving to caress her neck and cheek.

"Hi, Astrid," he says with a happy, but very sleepy, sluggish voice, his half open eyes not quite focusing right.

"Hi, Hiccup," she answers with a wide smile, stroking his cheek tenderly as her heart sings at being with him again. She can't help but yearn for being able to wake him up like this every morning.

As she watches, the boy's eyes start to open more completely as he finishes waking up. A look of alarm comes over his face as he becomes completely aware of his surroundings, his eyes growing wide at the sight of her.

"Astrid?!" he asks in a panic, struggling to keep his voice down. "Wh-What're you doing here?!"

The girl winces apologetically. "I had to see you," she whispers, her voice more needy than she would have liked. "We need to talk," she adds urgently.

Hiccup's brows knit together in concern at her words and he props himself up on his elbow to bring his eyes level with hers. "What's wrong?!" he asks fearfully, his heart pounding in anticipation of more bad news.

Swallowing with difficulty, Astrid forces herself to spit it out. "My father wants Vali Jorgenson to offer a contract for me to marry Snoutlout." The girl braces herself for his reaction.

Hiccup blinks a couple of times, "Oh…is that all?" he asks.

Astrid's jaw drops in shock. "What do you mean is that all?!" she asks far more loudly than she should. Hiccup shushes her, glancing over at the door in a panic. The girl blushes a bright red even as her gut twists in confusion and anger at his cavalier reaction to her earth-shattering news.

The two sit in silence as they wait, listening intently. The girl switches back and forth between watching the door in fear and glaring angrily at Hiccup. The moments slip by as the teens hear nothing but silence. Both breathe a sigh of relief, neither having realized they were holding their breath.

Hiccup turns back to his girlfriend, explaining in a hushed whisper, "Astrid, I already knew about that. I was afraid something else had gone wrong." She blinks a few times as she watches him silently, absorbing his explanation.

"Oh," the girl answers sheepishly, blushing a little as she settles down at his reason. "How did you find out?" she asks as quietly as he had.

"My father told me," he answers simply, choosing not to elaborate.

Astrid remembers their talk from before and asks, "Did you tell Stoic we want to get married? Can he stop this?"

Her heart sinks as the look on his face tells her the answer. "I asked," her boyfriend explains as he looks down from her to the bed, "but he said he couldn't tell Vali not to pursue it." Astrid swallows anxiously, a new wave of fear washing over her.

"Hiccup, what're we going to do?" she asks in a hushed, frantic whisper, careful not to raise her voice too much again, in spite of the renewed panic she now feels. He looks at her when she speaks, but then hesitates, not sure what to say.

Astrid's insides twists into a tight knot as she feels her fear overwhelm her. Her gaze falls to his feather matress, focusing on Hiccup's hand that rests between them. Reaching forward, she covers his hand with hers. She hesitates, then says with a shaking voice, "You…you'd said you would run away with me…if…if we had to…" Her gaze flicks anxiously up to him again, her whole body trembling now as she faces the moment of truth.

Hiccup looks into her eyes as she stares at him helplessly, her fear plain as day when he looks upon her face. He smiles sweetly at her, amazed to see her so vulnerable. Turning his hand to hold hers, he wraps his other arm about her shoulders to pull her to him.

"Of course I will," he whispers as he presses his lips to the top of her head. "I love you, and I made you a promise." Astrid breathes a ragged sigh of relief as she hears his words and feels him embrace her, pressing her head against his chest. She squeezes his hand and closes her eyes, listening to the sound of his heart beating through the heavy cotton nightshirt he wears. The girl allows herself to linger there in his embrace, content to simply be close to him, to bask in the satisfaction that he was not going to abandon her, that he loved her no matter what.

Astrid lifts herself up to sit on the bed next to him and he follows suit, sitting up fully as she looks into his eyes intently. He smiles faintly at the sight of her beautiful face, half shrouded in shadows from the pale moonlight. The sight reminds him of how she looked that night in Toothless' cove, after their first flight together when she gave him that first, innocent kiss on the cheek. Only now, with her hair tumbling freely down her back, she's all the more beautiful. He smiles at the memory of that night she fell in love with him. Reaching up, he caresses her cheek tenderly as he stares at her.

The girl leans into his touch, closing her eyes. She then looks at him and moves forward to press her body against his, kissing him passionately. Hiccup greets her with eager lips, his tongue meeting hers as she forces her way in. They embrace tightly, taking comfort in each other's arms, lingering in the kiss for some time.

Finally, Astrid pulls back to look at him. "When should we leave?" she asks quietly. "Tomorrow?"

Hiccup swallows heavily, the reality of it setting in. He would not hesitate to run away with her if it came to that. But still, what his father had said to him at the end of the evening weighs upon his mind.

"I don't think we should leave just yet," he whispers cautiously, watching Astrid intently. She frowns, again looking nervous.

"Hiccup, if your father won't help us…" she says plaintivly, her face painted with worry.

"Actually…I think he will," Hiccup answers, the girl furrowing her brow at his answer.

"What do you mean?" she asks. "You said…"

"I know, I know," Hiccup tells her. She watches him intently as he goes on, "He said he couldn't tell your father and Vali not to sign a contract if they wanted to, but…" he hesitates, looking down as he tries to explain it. He wasn't sure he really understood it himself, yet.

"But what?" Astrid asks anxiously.

"He said…he said that he knew what I wanted, what would make me happy…and he asked me to trust him." Listening to his words, Astrid's heart starts to pound excitedly in her chest.

"So he's going to help us?" she asks breathlessly, almost speaking too loudly.

Looking back at her with an uncertain gaze, Hiccup answers, "I think so?"

She furrows her brow at his lack of conviction. "How?" she asks, a little apprehnsive.

"I don't know," he admits, his brow furrowed as he thinks about the difficult and confusing evening. "But Vali was there tonight, and he and Stoic were…" he hesitates.

"What? They were what?" she asks, confused at the mention of Vali being there.

Grimacing, Hiccup says, "Dad was telling Vali to negotate your father down on the bride price, and to ask for an increase of the dowry."

Astrid looks at him like he's got two heads as she absorbs his answer. Hiccup cringes as he watches, expecting her to take his head off. As such, he's quite surprised when she starts to smile.

"That might actually work," she says in a hushed whisper.

"What?" He answers quietly, furrowing his brow in confusion.

The girl's lips start to twist into a smirk. "My father's always boasted about what a great price I'll fetch when he finally marries me off," she explains. "We've never had much money, so he's been looking forward to my marriage as a way to improve his fortunes," she says as he thinks the matter through. "If Vali tries to negotiate him down…" she smiles slightly, then pauses.

"Wait," she says, starting to frown. "How would he justify offering a lower price?" she asks, looking at Hiccup with a confused expression. Her mood quickly changes to anger as she waits and sees him squirm uncomfortably beneath her gaze while he fails to answer.

"Hiccup, what did you tell them?" she hisses in a hostile whisper, glaring at him.

"I didn't tell them anything," he says, pleading. "They figured it out for themselves…"

The girls eyes narrow, "They figured _what_ out for themselves?" she asks dangerously.

Clearing his throat Hiccup hesitates before admitting, "they figured out that you and I…did…stuff…"

"Hiccup!" she cries, entirely too loudly, causing the boy to glance at the door in a panic as he hushes her again. "I can't believe you!" she whispers harshly at him, punching him in the shoulder as her anger roils inside of her.

"Astrid, please," he pleads anxiously while rubbing where she hit him, "I didn't say anything to tip them off, my father was sniffing around for it," he says as she fumes at him. "He asked me if we…had sex, and I denied that, but then he asked me if we did anything else."

"And you couldn't have lied to him?" she asks hysterically in a sharp whisper, struggling to keep her voice down. She feels a twinge of guilt inside as she realizes her own hypocracy, but decides to ignore that for now.

"He's my father, Astrid," Hiccup says flatly. "I've never lied to him."

Astrid narrows her eyes at him. "What about Toothless?" she asks pointedly.

Hiccup frowns, answering indignantly, "I didn't lie to my father about him." Astrid lifts an eyebrow, "I just…didn't tell him what I was doing," he further justifies. "But I never told him an outright lie…!"

"So why didn't you just _omit_ what _we_ did?" she asks harshly.

Hiccup sighs. "Astrid, he asked me directly. I didn't have a choice…!"

The girl huffs, crossing her arms as her cheeks flush with embarassment at the thought of Stoic having this conversation with Hiccup about what she did with him. It was even worse that Vali had been there. She scowls at the boy sitting next to her as he shifts uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Look, it's a good thing I admitted it, right?" he asks in a pleading voice, feeling all the more nervous as she lifts an eyebrow at him. "You just said that if they can beat him down enough on the price, then your father might change his mind…?"

Astrid frowns, even more annoyed at his very logical point. That was right, and it was what she said. But she's still pissed at Hiccup for sharing any information about their very new love life with anyone.

Especially his father.

How would she ever look Stoic in the eye again?

Not quite through being annoyed, she asks him bitterly, "So he thinks Vali can bargain for a lower price because you defiled my purity?" Her voice drips with sarcasm at the last few words.

Swallowing nervously, Hiccup nods slowly. "That's pretty much it," he answers, looking at her with a degree of fear.

Her breathing levels as she starts to settle down, thinking the matter through. "And you said that you made it clear to your Dad that we didn't go all the way, that we were only fooling around?" she asks.

Hiccup furrows his brow, nodding slowly again. "Uhh, yeeaah…" he says as he watches her with growing apprehension.

Astrid starts to smirk devilishly at his words, enjoying the sight of his fearful reaction at her change in demeanor.

"Uuhmm…what're you thinking, Astrid?" Hiccup asks anxiously.

She grins all the more wickedly at his reaction. Leaning in closer to him, she brings her face so close to his that he leans back apprehensively. He looks into her eyes nervously as she says nothing. Then she whispers to him in a scandalous voice, "Why, Hiccup…if Vali can ask for a lower price just because we fooled around, just imagine what would happen if we went ahead and had sex…" she thrills inside as Hiccup's eyes go wide at her words. "Vali might just refuse to even offer a contract…"

The boy stares at her as she makes her rather indecent proposal, his body suddenly awash with both waves of nervousness and excitement as she scoots her bottom closer to him on the bed while staring deeply into his eyes. He swallows heavily as her hand drifts over to his crotch, touching him briefly and pausing as she feels the stiffness of his erection push back against her probing fingers.

"Well, I see you like that idea," she says with a grin as she wraps her fingers around his length, squeezing him through his nightshirt. Hiccup groans huskily as she slowly plays with him, shutting his eyes as she leans in to press her lips against his. She kisses him passionately while she gently rubs his length through his nightshirt. The lad whimpers against her, kissing back as her touch overwhelms him.

Breaking the kiss, she stands and grabs her skirt and leggings at the waist, getting ready to strip her lower half naked.

"Waitasecond!" Hiccup whispers sharply as he grabs one of her wrists firmly, staring up at her intently. "You want to have sex with me?"

She chuckles, answering with a smirk, "Hiccup, I though I'd already made that plenty clear, back on the island…"

Exasperated, Hiccup shakes his head. "No, I mean… you want to, like, right now?" he asks incredulously

Astrid lifts an eyebrow as she pauses. "You'd rather wait to see if my father will accept the deal Vali's going to offer him?"

The boy hesitates. "Well…Dad seemed happy with how things are right now," he argues.

The girl shrugs, "I don't want to leave anything to chance," she says plainly as she starts to slide her pants and skirt down.

"Astrid!" Hiccup barks in a firm whisper as she bares a couple of inches of flesh to him, stopping just above where Hiccup remembers her patch of hair starting. He can't help but stare at her ivory skin that just happens to be level with his eyes. She stops, huffing in frustration and glaring at him while he forces himself to look into her eyes and says, "My father is asleep down the hall! I don't think now is the time…"

The girl hesitates, then shrugs, "then we'll just have to be quiet."

Hiccup chortles at her answer, looking her in the eyes. "Seriously?" he asks her. "You? Be quiet?"

Astrid frowns, unhappy with his insinuation. "I can be plenty quiet," she says defensively.

Her boyfriend grins at her, causing her to deepen her scowl. "Astrid, uhm…I'm not sure how to tell you this, but…you're…a screamer," he says.

"What?" she asks as a blush rises on her cheeks at his words.

"A screamer," he tells her. "When I made you…cum…before? You screamed." She frowns slightly. "Really loudly," he continues as her frown deepens. "Both times," he adds, smirking a little as she squirms uncomfortably. "A lot," he finally says.

Astrid blushes brightly at his accusation, feeling very chagrined. "I did not," she says in a weak attempt to deny his words.

Hiccup chuckles, his grin deepening. "Oooh, yes you did," he replies smugly. Astrid hesitates, trying to glare at him, but finds herself unable to as he looks at her with that gloating expression. She feels like smacking the grin off his face, but instead she pulls her leggings and skirt back up, then sits on the bed in a huff. Crossing her arms, she looks down, deeply chagrined.

Hiccup smirks all the more, leaning in to whisper, "Did I mention that I loved every second of it…?" She glances at him, her frown fading at this, though her cheeks are still a bright red, perhaps even more so now. He leans in closer, putting his lips to her ear, "and I can't wait to do it to you again," he whispers all the more softly, sending a shiver down her spine as he kisses her ear wetly.

In spite of her embarassment, Astrid thrills inside. How did he suddenly get so sexy? Especially now, when he was denying her all the naughty things he could do to her…

Growling in frustration, Astrid's hand darts to Hiccup's leg to find the bottom of his nightshirt. The boy gasps in surprise as he feels her fingers upon his bare flesh, sucking in his breath as she quickly glides her touch up his bare thigh until she finds his penis, eagerly waiting for her in a stiff salute.

She pulls back just enough to look into his eyes as she wraps her fingers tightly around his shaft, smirking at him with a smug, wicked expression as she watches his face contort with pleasure. Her hand starts to slowly move up and down his length, her smile growing all the more devilish as she watches his face react. He moans huskily, his breath coming more heavily now.

"Astrid, we shouldn't…" he tries to protest as she pleasures him, his words drawing a throaty chuckle from the girl as she continues to stroke him.

"Who said I was going to let you do anything to me?" she asks with a sinful look in her eyes. Hiccup's eyes widen until she squeezes him tightly, causing him to close his eyes with a gasp of pleasure. With a silky, seductive voice, she explains, "I might be the screamer in this relationship, but I bet you can be quiet when you have to…"

Hiccup whimpers as she continues to stroke him. "Yeah, but…I'll…make a mess…again," he protests, feeling like he's running out of options to ward her off. In truth, he doesn't want her to stop, but he's terrified of getting caught.

She grins at him from ear to ear, "hmm, good point," she answers, her hand pausing, to his relief. Waiting a couple of moments to let him relax, she squeezes him tightly again, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "but I've had a thought about how to…contain…your mess…" Pulling back she looks into his gaze, smirking as he stares at her with wide eyes.

Astrid releases him, but then quickly pulls his nightshirt up above his waist. He opens his mouth to protest but she moves too fast, moving down the bed and leaning down to quickly wrap her lips around the head of his hard shaft.

Hiccup gasps loudly as he feels her warm, moist mouth envelop his tip. Grasping her head with his one hand, he supports himself with his other arm. The girl lingers there, sucking on him firmly, drawing a throaty moan from her boyfriend as he entwines his fingers in her hair. Astrid's heart pounds in her chest at the reality of what she's doing to him. She can't believe she just put him in her mouth.

Still, she loves how it feels and tastes, and she's happy beyond measure to know how much pleasure she's bringing to this boy that she loves.

Hiccup's head spins as Astrid sucks on his tip, his whole body feeling hot and excited. The warm wetness that envelops him is overwhelming, and when she starts to rub him with her tongue, he whimpers a little more loudly than he should.

Sucking on him firmly, the girl pulls her mouth off of him with a pop. She grasps his length in her hand again, slowly stroking him as she looks up at him, chiding him firmly in a hushed whisper, "Be quiet, Hiccup…" The boy wordlessly nods, his hand upon her head gently coaxing her back down again. She smiles at him from ear to ear, pleased beyond measure at his newfound enthusiasm for this as she moves down with the push of his hand, wrapping her lips around his stiffness again.

As she starts to suck on him, Hiccup falls back onto the mattress, unable to support himself anymore. He tries to hold in his moans of passion as her tongue again flicks over his head within her mouth, the sensation driving him insane. His heart pounds in his chest as he feels the strong need for more, his hand that's wrapped up in her hair tugs gently, trying to encourage her to move.

Astrid chuckles as she feels the pull of his hand, resisting for a moment before yielding to his silent plea, sliding her mouth down his length. Hiccup sucks in his breath as she takes more of him in, her tongue flicking over his underside as she then slides back up and down again, starting to fall into a more steady rhythm.

The boy breathes heavily as she bobs up and down on his length, his whole body starting to tense as he feels his peak quickly coming. In the back of his mind, he has no doubt he would have erupted instantly if she did this earlier. But with the two times she already made him come today, he has some endurance, though the deliciously warm and wet feel of her lips and tongue around his shaft brings him quickly to the precipice.

Hiccup's hips start to move with her as his breathing comes in heavy gulps, his hand gripping her head as she moves her lips and tongue over the top half of his length. She finds it difficult to take more of him in and quickly decides they'll need to practice this so she can rectify that.

Astrid swirls her tongue over his underside as she bobs up and down on his length, sucking hard as she slides her one hand up his torso, caressing him. With her other hand she grips the base of his shaft, moving her hand over his length along with her lips, sometimes playing with his balls. Hiccup feels the tide coming as he starts to breathe in heavy gulps, his heart hammering in his chest. The girl moans as she slides his erection in and out of her mouth, the vibrations caressing his tender flesh as the silky wetness strokes against him.

Stifling a gasp, Hiccup tenses up as his penis starts to convulse in her mouth, his hand tightening in her hair as he suddenly sprays hot gobs of fluid inside her. Astrid gasps in shock at the force of it, struggling to take it in and quickly becoming overwhelmed at the surge, which seems worse than the first time when she saw it. Choking on the thick, sticky fluid, she pulls off of him, only for the torrent to now spray heavily on her face. She quickly shuts her eyes as gobs of the hot and sticky fluid cover her, hitting her lips, her cheeks, her eyes and getting a little in her bangs.

In spite of the mess, she grips his stiffness with her hand and pumps after she pulls off, intent on not ruining the moment for him. She hears him gasp heavily as his orgasm overwhelms him, grinning in spite of herself as she hears the suppressed moans from the boy as he struggles to be quiet.

She feels his penis stop convulsing in her hand as the spray slowly stops. She slows her strokes accordingly, though she still grips him firmly. His heavy breathing keeps a smile on her face as she cracks one eye, trying to see him through the mess she wears. As she watches, the exhausted boy lifts his head and opens his eyes to look at her.

He gasps when he sees the gobs of his white fluid covering her face, blushing profusely and huriedly sits up while whispering in a panicked voice,"Oh Gods! Astrid, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!"

Scowling in frustration, she covers his mouth with her unoccupied hand, while squeezing his softening shaft with her other, instantly silencing him.

"Shut up, Hiccup," she says with a sigh. Sitting up next to him, she reaches down to the small belt pouch she wears and pulls out a small white cloth, which she uses to start cleaning up her face. "I came prepared this time," she says with a grin, looking at him with her one eye that she can partly open.

Sitting up with her, Hiccup takes the fabric from her hand and proceeds to start cleaning her face with soft, careful strokes. The girl smiles and sighs happily as he tends to her, and she's surprised when she finds herself blushing at his gentle touch. He looks at her with a deeply concerned face, blushing profusely as he slowly and hesitantly cleans up the mess he made. She watches him intently as he does, smiling from ear to ear at him. The boy can't meet her gaze, his attention focused on what he's doing, though he steals glances into her eyes once or twice.

"Astrid, I am so sorry," he whispers again as he wipes up the last of it, causing her grab his wrist firmly as she stares into his eyes.

"Would you shut up?" she asks forcefully, still careful to keep her voice down. "I loved doing that to you," she says with a smile. "I can't wait to do it again…"

Hiccup blushes all the more at her words, whispering nervously, "Yeah, but, I…made a mess all over you…"

She grins sheepishly, blushing profusely as she looks down. "Who…who said I didn't…enjoy that?" she asks, unable to look at him at first. She flicks an embarrased glance up at him to see his wide eyed reaction, but then she quickly looks down.

Hiccup chuckles, lifting her chin with his fingers to force her to look in his eyes. "So you liked it when I made a mess on your face?" he asks in a husky whisper, annoying her with his newfound confidence.

She should never have admitted it to him, but she couldn't let him go on berating himself over it.

"Maybe," she says, irritated with how red her cheeks must be. "But you owe me big for this one," she says, suddenly regaining her pride. She gets even more annoyed when his smile lilts into a smirk as he sees right through her. In a sharp whisper, she says, "Tomorrow night, when we meet at Toothless' cove? You're going to make me scream again…!"

Hiccup laughs softly, nodding at her words as he wraps his arms about her. She resists at first, but then leans into his embrace, holding him as she rests her head upon his shoulder.

"I will gladly do that to you," he whispers into her ear as he kisses her cheek tenderly. She sighs happily, lifting her head to meet his lips with hers, kissing him passionately. The two young lovers linger for a while in their contentment, holdling each other tightly as they kiss intimately.

A soft knock at the door causes them to pull apart and look at the still closed portal in a fit of panic.

"Son?" they hear Stoic's voice outside. "Are you awake?"


	11. Chapter 11

Hiccup and Astrid panic at the sound of Stoic's voice just outside, the two freezing for a moment, staring at the door in wide-eyed terror.

The girl then leans in to hurriedly whisper into Hiccup's ear. "Tomorrow night, Toothless' Cove!" He nods and she kisses him quickly on the lips, then leaps off the bed and silently sprints to the window in his low ceiling. Jumping up to grab the frame, Astrid hoists herself up and out, just as the door opens.

Pulling up his blankets to cover his naked lower half, Hiccup watches his girlfriend vanish in the nick of time, her shadow disappearing just as Stoic opens the door and peers inside, a candle in his grasp.

"Son?" the large man asks hesitantly, looking around the room with a furrowed brow, as if searching for something.

"Uuhh…what? What is it, Dad?" he asks, feigning a yawn as if he had just woken up. "Is everything okay?"

Stoic eyes his son sternly, then glances up at the window and back at him again. "I thought I heard voices," the large man answers, watching his son with a penetrating gaze.

"Uhh, nope!" Hiccup answers, struggling to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "Well, I mean…I might have been talking in my sleep, I was having some pretty vivid dreams there," he says with a nervous laugh and an anxious grin, eyeing his father worriedly.

The chief watches his son, falling silent for a moment.

"Why'd ye open yer window?" he asks. "Yer letting all the heat out."

Hiccup looks up at the open window, then back at his father. "Oh that?" he asks, smiling nervously. "That…I…wanted some fresh air…!" he says with a little too much enthusiasm. "I don't mind the cold, I am a viking, after all…!" he answers with a forced smile, trying not to shiver as he realizes how cold it really is, now that Astrid isn't in bed with him to keep him warm.

Stoic narrows his gaze at the teen, then walks into the room. "Well, let's close th'window all the same," he says as he reaches the portal. The large man sticks his head out, looking around before ducking back down and pulling the shudders closed. "Ye'll probably sleep better if yer warm," he says.

"Yeah," Hiccup answers as the closing of the doors chokes out the moonlight, leaving the room dark save for the candle that Stoic carries. "You're probably right," the boy adds, thankful for the cover of darkness. Trying to keep the guilt off his face was becoming exhausting, the teen is glad for the respite.

"Well, sorry t'disturb ya, lad," Stoic says, walking back to the door. "I'll see you in th'morning," he says.

"Sure, Dad," Hiccup answers in relief. "Sleep tight," he adds.

"You too," his father replies, starting to close the door, taking away the last source of light.

HIccup breathes a quiet sigh of relief in the darkness, but then the candlelight spills back in as Stoic opens the door again.

"Oh, and Son?" Stoic asks as he peers back in at his boy.

"Yeah, Dad?" Hiccup asks, his anxiety returning as he meets his father's gaze in the dim light of the candle.

The large viking pauses for a moment. "Try and be a little more quiet next time Astrid sneaks over to have fun, hm? I'd like to get a proper night's sleep."

Hiccup's eyes grow wide as saucers as Stoic smirks at him and winks, the big man then closing the door firmly behind him as he leaves.

* * *

After pulling herself up and out of the window, Astrid moves quickly across the roof, trying desperately to be quiet as her heart pounds in her chest. Through the window behind her, she can hear Stoic and Hiccup talking. She makes it to the edge of the roof and manages to lower herself down, just in time to see Stoic's head peak out from the window and start to look about.

Her heart jumps into her throat as she quickly drops, hanging precariously by her fingers from the roof. She waits and listens as she struggles to keep her breathing quiet, the silence weighing upon her.

She hopes that she managed to duck down in time, but in truth, she has no idea if Stoic saw her or not.

A few moments later, she breathes a sigh of relief as she hears the squeak of the hinges and the thump of the shudders closing. The girl drops her head in relief for a moment, thinking a prayer of thanks before hoisting herself back up. Carefully, she climbs back down the corner of the house, jumping the last few feet to the ground and sprinting quietly back to her house.

She opens the shudders to her window again, slipping back in the way she came, listening carefully for any sign of wakefulness in her parents. Thankfully, blessedly, she's greeted by a dark and silent house. After closing the window back up, she proceeds to strip back down and don her nightgown again.

Slipping into bed, she can feel the panicked excitement from sneaking about start to fade, only to be replaced with a girlish giddiness as she realizes that she just managed to visit Hiccup in the dead of night without getting caught. A wide smile crosses her lips as she remembers what she did to him, and how it felt to have him in her mouth. She gets excited as she thinks about meeting him again tomorrow night, and what she'll make him do to her, when they have enough privacy for her to be as loud as he says she is when they…have fun together.

Astrid snuggles up happily under the blankets, thinking about how he renewed his promise to run away with her, if Stoic didn't manage to save them both from her father's machinations. Hugging herself, she remembers the joy of being with Hiccup. The happiness that floods over her easily drowns out the worry that had driven her from her bed in the first place.

The teen soon slips into a deep and contented sleep, a wide smile upon her lips as she dreams naughty dreams of the skinny young man who has changed her life so much in so short a time.

* * *

Hiccup wakes the next morning with the crow of the roosters outside. He stretches languidly in his bed, snug and warm beneath his covers. A wide smile spreads across his face as he remembers his night with Astrid. The boy sighs contentedly, lingering for a few moments as he lets the memories wash over him. He feels amazing after such a good night's sleep.

After Stoic had left, the boy had sat in bed completely flabbergasted at his father's parting words. After a few moments, however, he realized that the man hadn't exactly shown any disapproval. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Once the boy had thought of that, going back to sleep was fairly easy, especially as he remembered what it felt like to be with Astrid again. That had led to some rather vivid dreams.

Now, Hiccup's smile grows even more as he considers what his father's reaction to discovering Astrid's visit meant to the bigger picture. There was now no doubt in the teen's mind that Stoic was trying to arrange matters for him and his girlfriend. Astrid had even given him a better insight as to how his father was attempting to manage it.

Sitting up in bed, Hiccup reaches for his crutch, using the dreaded aide to help him stand from his bed. Inwardly, he curses himself for wounding his leg, then pauses as something occurs to him.

Astrid will be pissed when she finds out what he did to himself. She'll be especially upset when he fesses up as to why.

Hanging his head with a heavy sigh, the boy thinks on the problem for a few moments before realizing there's nothing to be done for it. He'll take at least a week to heal, and he shouldn't put any weight on his stump until then, so his fake leg is off limits as Gobber had said. Hiccup wasn't about to go that long without seeing Astrid, and besides which, they had promised each other several times in the last half a day to meet tonight at Toothless' Cove tonight.

Toothless.

Hiccup frowns all the more deeply as he realizes the other price of his foolishness.

He can't fly until his leg is better.

Toothless is grounded along with him.

With a heavy heart, the teen goes about his morning routine, which now includes changing the bandages on the end of his stump. He finds moving around with the crutch to be awkward, frustrating, and limiting. The more he struggles, the more he feels like an idiot for not taking care of his leg in the first place. How easy would it have been to just remove his leg and just clean out the sand?

The boy makes his way downstairs, crawling backwards down the steep slope, and grabs some jerky to take with him to the forge. He then goes outside to see Toothless. The dragon is curled up in a tight ball, but pops its head up at the sound of the door opening. The night-black creature hops up at the sight of his best friend and bounds over to Hiccup, but then suddenly stops and sniffs at the crutch he leans on and the boy's stump and where his fake leg should be.

"Yeah, I can't wear my leg," he tells his dragon with a lamentful voice as the creature looks up at him. "Sorry, bud…that means we can't fly until I'm healed up." He heaves a heavy sigh as he rubs Toothless' neck, the guilt churning in his stomach.

The lizard warbles sympathetically and leans into the teen, nearly knocking him over. "Ooof! Hey there," he says as he struggles to keep his balance on his one leg and the crutch. The dragon continues to nuzzle against him, and Hiccup realizes that Toothless is trying to comfort him.

"Aw, thanks, bud," he says with a warm smile. "You're a good friend, you know that?" he asks. "I'll make it up to you, don't worry." The teen then turns his attention to the dragon's store of food, with the intent of feeding him. After a quick inspection, he realizes that his father must have already taken care of it, by virtue of a missing basket that the lad quickly sees has been dumped into its proper place in the yard.

Hiccup guesses that tonight he'll be getting a lecture about feeding Toothless next to the door.

"Well, I should get down to the forge," he tells his friend, still rubbing the dragon's neck as the large creature continues to lean against him affectionately. The dragon turns his head and licks Hiccup, covering his front and face with a slimey coating of drool, then trots over to the nearly empty basket and helps himself to some more fish.

"Ugh…yeah," Hiccup says as he reaches for a towel hanging on the laundry line just beside the door. "Love you too, bud…"

* * *

By the time Hiccup makes his way down to the forge, the sun is completely above the horizon and people have started to emerge from their homes to go about their daily routines. The boy found walking on the crutch instead of his fake leg to be a challenge, since he spent almost no time doing so after he awoke from his recovery. Half of the trip down, the lad found himself thinking about ways to improve upon the crutch, since it seemed he was going to be stuck with it for a little while, yet.

He opens the door to the shop, struggling with the heavy weight of the portal while trying to balance on his crutch. Inside he finds Gobber already at work with the forge lit, though its flames are not burning very brightly.

"Morning, Gobber," the teen greets his mentor and friend, trying to keep the sulleness out of his voice as he wonders what he can possibly do in the forge without use of his one leg.

"Good morning, Hiccup!" the burly viking enthusiastically greets him with a smile, briefly turning his attention away from the plow that he was fixing. "Good to see you here, so bright and early!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure how useful I'm going to be without my leg," he replies, only partly succeeding at not sounding bitter.

"Well, I could always use ya t'prop the door open if it gits too hot," the smith says with a grin. Hiccup glares at him, causing Gobber to smirk even more. "Or, you could start by pumping th'billows t'heat up the forge. Y'don' weigh that much less without yer new leg that you can't do that, I'll wager."

The boy sighs, making his way to the billows as the smith continues. "After that, you can man th'window and see to th'customers," Gobber tells him as the boy starts to work the heavy equipment, breathing life into the flames of the forge.

"Gobber," the boy says between gasping breaths as he works the heavy machinery, "I'm telling you, we need to retrofit this so you can have a dragon fire the forge." The smith gives his apprentice a sidelong, irritated glance as the boy pushes his idea yet again. "I mean, making fire kinda comes naturally to dragons, it'd be sooo much easier for them to light and heat the forge than little old me on this big, heavy pump…"

"Oh, aye," Gobber answers with his standard rebuttle, "and it'd be just as easy fer th'beast t'accidentally burn th'place down!"

Frustrated with the man's continued refusals, the teen answers for not the first time, "Gobber, I have a new forge design that would be as safe as possible. There's safey valves and emergency sprinklers. Besides, the dragon we'd pick wouldn't do that…it'd be trained to light the forge, and not set the shop on fire." He pauses, then adds, "it'd be a natural thing for _your_ dragon to do, if you'd ever take one…"

"I have no problems with dragons anymore, Hiccup," the large viking answers as he brings a plow blade to the fire to start work on it, "but I jest don' see myself having one, is all."

Hiccup looks at the fire with satisfaction and nods at it before looking over at the smith with a knowing glance. The lad picks up his crutch and makes his way to the counter where a few vikings have already lined up, waiting to do business. "That's just because you haven't met the right dragon, yet," he tells Gobber before he starts to give his attention to the first in line.

"Well, when I meet th'right dragon, I'll be sure t'let you know," the smith answers, tired of the topic. Hiccup briefly glances back and smirks at the man's stubborness, then faces forward again and listens to his customer. The two smiths stop talking for a while as Hiccup sees to their clients, collecting orders for things to be made from some and from others gathering various implements that require repair.

After the intitial queue has been dealt with, the smith and his apprentice busy themselves with the various tasks in the shop. Around lunchtime, Gobber sends Hiccup to see the healer, for her to look at his leg. The woman changes the dressing on his stump, applying a strange paste to his wound in the process. When the boy returns, he tells Gobber that Gothi said what they both already knew. Hiccup's stump would be healed enough to use his leg in about a week or so, if he didn't stress it. He is also supposed to visit her daily to get a fresh application of the medicine to speed healing.

Throughout the rest of the day, Gobber finds no shortage of work for the young man to take on, even without the use of his one leg.

About the time the sun approaches the horizon again, Hiccup glances back at his mentor. The shop has been quiet for about an hour and the street is empty, as most of the folks in the village have found their way to the Great Hall for the evening meal. Today being Friday, everyone stopped work early, so it was still about late afternoon.

"So," Hiccup asks with a leading voice. Gobber glances over at the lad's tone, but promptly returns his attention to his work. "Uhm…I was wondering if…you could tell me what Dad's plan is?" he asks anxiously, nervous about broaching this topic.

"Well," Gobber answers as he eyes his work critically, "Stoic is always th'man with th'plan," he answers cryptically, grinning slightly.

"Come on, Gobber," the boy laments, "throw me a bone, here. After what we talked about last night-"

"You should know t'leave well enough alone," Gobber snaps, cutting the teen off as he looks over sternly while pointing his steel claw at him. Hiccup snaps his jaw shut, feeling frustrated by the situation. "You need t'trust Stoic," the smith tells him.

"I trust him," Hiccup pouts, looking wounded at the accusation, even though last night he hadn't felt that way at all. "But…I'd feel a lot better to know what was going on," he adds as he hobbles back to the shop window with a mind to sit on the stool there. His good leg bothers him after standing most of the day, and since things were quiet, he thought he'd avail himself of a seat.

Gobber chuckles at the boy's answer as he watches the skinny lad seat himself at the window and rest his crutch against its counter. "Aye, wouldn't we all?" the large smith answers with a sardonic tone. "Jest you be sure not to do anything foolish to cause trouble," he warns. "Yer father's got everything under control, there's no need fer you to try an' fix things yerself."

The boy frowns in irritation at the large viking, asking bitterly, "How am I supposed to know what could cause problems if I don't know what the plan is?"

Gobber narrows his gaze at his apprentice. "You know what I'm talkin' about," he warns, staring intently at at the lad. Hiccup looks back at the smith with a sour expression, causing the man to grin all the more.

"Aye, that's what I thought," he tells the boy, nodding and grinning in amusement. Hiccup just continues to glare at the smith.

Glancing behind the lad, Gobber smirks wryly and says, "Ya gots a customer, Hiccup…"

Sighing heavily, Hiccup turns around on the stool to look out the window. He nearly jumps out of his skin as he sees Astrid. The girl is leaning on the shop counter, watching him with a wide smile and adoring eyes. He immediately swings his arm out to knock his crutch to the floor with a wooden clatter. The girl blinks in surprise, then giggles at his reaction.

"Astrid!" he says in shock as he tries to wrap his head around seeing her here, now, in clear daylight. He feels terrified that she might have seen him with his leg off, and hopes that she didn't notice his crutch before he sent it to the ground. "What're…what're you doing here?!" he asks in concern, looking around into the street behind her. The only person he sees is a blonde woman in a plain dress, watching the two with a beatific smile upon her face.

"I couldn't wait to see you," she says eagerly with a wide smile. Hiccup half smiles at her, but looks about again nervously. Impulsively, the girl grabs him by his shirt and pulls him half out of the window to press her lips to his in a sweet kiss. He moans against her lips as his eyes slowly close and he kisses her back happily, but then he remembers their audience.

Pulling back, he flicks his gaze behind her and whispers against her cheek, "Astrid, we're not alone…!"

As she releases Hiccup in a panic, the girl glances over her shoulder. The woman waves at them as Astrid looks back at Hiccup. "That's my Mom, dummy," she says. "We're out doing errands. I talked her into letting me come here to see you, since everyone is over at the Great Hall eating dinner right now…"

"Oh…" he answers, looking relived and relaxing a little bit. He then smirks at the girl standing on the other side of the window and grabs her arms, pulling her to him as he leans in to kiss once more. Astrid yelps in surprise, but sighs happily against his lips as they linger for another few moments, kissing deeply before parting.

"A girl could get used to that," she tells him in a coy voice, looking dreamily into his eyes as they part. He smiles at her from ear to ear.

"I intend to make you very used to it…" he says with a wicked grin, causing the girl to blush, even as she beams at him.

"Astrid…!" the woman calls with a sense of urgency in her voice, causing the girl to look back at her briefly.

"Okay, Mom…!" she answers before turning back to Hiccup, who frowns with concern.

"We can't stay, of course," she says with a sigh. Hiccup frowns, but nods in understanding. "Besides just wanting to see you, I also wanted to let you know that Vali stopped by our house this afternoon. He and Dad had a brief conversation, which got pretty heated." Hiccup raises an eyebrow at her, and she smirks conspiratorily at him. "That's when my Dad kicked Mom and me out so he could talk with Vali alone."

The teens both grin as she adds, "you could hear my Dad shouting at him from the end of the street."

Hiccup smiles widely, feeling a swell of excitement at the news. "Let's hope it's enough," he says as he looks into her eyes.

"I've been praying for it," she says. "I'm sure I'll find out when we get home, and I'll tell you all about it tonight," she adds, her voice dropping to a whisper at the last part.

Hiccup nods eagerly. "I can't wait until then," he whispers back with a wicked grin as he meets her gaze, the look in his eyes causing Astrid to blush furiously.

"Me neither," she answers with a devilish smile of her own, as she thinks about what she'll make Hiccup do to her.

"Astrid!" her mother calls in a more demanding tone.

"Gotta go," the blonde teen says urgently, leaning in to kiss him one last time, cupping his face in her hands. Her lips passionately press against his as she impatiently invades his mouth with her tongue. The boy moans weakly while responding in kind, hugging her as best as he can through the shop window while kissing her thoroughly.

She pulls away quickly to look into his eyes, whispering, "Love you. See you tonight!"

He nods, grabbing her hand and squeezing it while smiling widely at her. "Love you too. See you there!" he answers, to which she nods while smiling brilliantly, squeezing his hand in answer before she reluctantly pulls away and dashes back to her mother's side. The older woman smiles at Hiccup and waves as she quickly ushers her daughter away. The boy smiles and waves back, though his eyes never leave Astrid. Likewise, the girl stares intently at him, even as her mother guides her away from the shop.

The boy watches the two women until they vanish around a corner, then sits back on the stool with a happy sigh and a sappy smile, resting his elbow on the counter and his chin in his hand.

Gobber looks on, smirking wryly at the sight of his love struck apprentice. "Careful there, Hiccup," he says, causing the boy to turn to glance at him with a hesitant gaze. The smith grins for a moment before adding, "Don't go and swoon on me, ya might fall an' hurt yerself on all those sharp and dangerous objects laying all around ya on yer way down."

The boy's cheeks quickly turn scarlet as he fidgets. What Gobber says next only adds to his embarassement. "Will you be wantin' t'write some love sonnets, then?" the big man asks with a playful grin, adding, "Perhaps go an' gather a bouquet of flowers fer th'girl?"

The boy clears his throat as he tries to stop blushing, but finds it an impossible task. He opens his mouth to fire back a reply, but then hears a voice shout from behind him, "There you are!"

Turning in surprise to look out the window again, he sees Snoutlout, Fishlegs, Tuffnut and Ruffnut all walking towards the shop.

"Oh, heya guys," he answers with a half smile. He'd much rather be sharing in Astrid's company, of course, but he also has found happiness in the new friendships he'd made with the other teens from his Dragon Training class.

"What's going on?" he asks them.

"We were looking all over for you yesterday," Tuffnut answers as he and the other teens come to stand around the shop window. "Where were you?" he asks in a confused and perhaps even hurt voice. Hiccup smirks at the apparent concern, wondering idly why they were curious.

He shrugs, "I took Toothless out for the day," he says, intent on staying as close to the truth as possible. He really didn't like lying, especially to his friends and family. "I didn't get back until after dark," he says further with a shrug, trying to act nonchallant while watching their reactions.

"Ya know, Astrid said the same thing when we asked her where she was yesterday," Fishlegs observes innocently, causing the other three teens to exchange glances at his words. Hiccup sits up a little as he starts to get nervous, while the large teen amends his own statement with, "except, she said she was flying on Stormfly, not Toothless."

"Huh! Ya don't say," Hiccup says, doing his best to stay cool, though he fears he's not doing a very good job of it. "Sooo, what's up guys? Need something for your dragons or something?" Snoutlout, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut all glance at him with suspicious gazes, their brows furrowed. The young apprentice forces a nervous smile as they study him silently.

Hiccup is sure that they've figured it out, when suddenly Gobber calls out from behind, "I think they're here to have you settle who's dragon is the smartest. That's why they were looking for you, yesterday." The teens all look over at the smith as he adds with a grin, "I couldn't help them with it yesterday, though having thought about it overnight, I'd have to say Hookfang is the smartest."

Snoutlout stands up a little more tall at this, his chest puffing out in pride. "There, see?" he asks, "I told you!" he says to the twins who both bristle at the judgement from Gobber, staring daggers at the barrel chested teen.

Hiccup watches, then turns to look back at the smith, who's looking on with a mischevious, knowing grin. His apprentice conspiratorially shares in the smile, answering, "I dunno, Gobber," he pauses to glance out the window at the other teens to make sure he's got their attention. "I'm not sure we can just discount the Ziffleback…I mean, two heads are better than one…"

Snoutlout fumes at this while the twins high-five one another, then start to make taunting noises at the burly teen.

The large smith smirks, answering, "Hm, you make a good point Hiccup, but those Monsterous Nightmares were always the most dangerous of dragons, back in th'day…" His apprentice looks at him thoughtfully, as if he were considering the merits of his argument.

"That's true too," he says, while Snoutlout crosses his arms smugly and sneers at the twins. Fishlegs watches on like a spectator at a tennis game, gleefully watching the change in fortunes of each side.

"This is a pretty hard problem," Hiccup adds, " I'm really not sure how to decide," he says further, looking like he's deep in thought.

"Well," Gobber answers, "I think there may be only one way to solve this," he says as he and Hiccup share a knowing gaze.

Hiccup lifts an eyebrow, "You mean a contest?" he asks his teacher, who nods. The teen looks back at the others standing outside the window. "Well," he says with a grin. "If you guys want an answer, it looks like you'll have to help us figure it out…"

"A contest?" Snoutlout asks with a grin.

"What kind of contest?" Tuffnut wonders, looking at Hiccup with a devious smile, thinking he might already have the advantage, given the initial favor the scrawny teen had shown his dragon.

Hiccup looks at the teens outside his window with a thoughtful gaze, before he says, "I'm not sure just yet." The others look disappointed. "But I'll come up with something…" The four look at each other with eager, knowing grins. They had all learned to respect what Hiccup's creativity could produce.

"But for now, I'm going to dinner," he proclaims and then hops down off of the stool. Dropping to the floor, he picks up his crutch and hefts himself up again, trying to ignore the four sets of eyes that watch him silently.

"What happened to your leg, Hiccup?" Fishlegs blurts out, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Snoutlout, the other three teens glaring at the tall boy. Since the battle at the Dragons' Nest, the four had become rather protective of Hiccup, quickly bringing him into the fold.

The young smith's apprentice sighs before turning back to his friends. He smiles sheepishly. "It's…kind of an adjustment, learning how to live with a fake leg," he explains, hoping a vague answer will be enough. "I…kinda hurt myself because I wasn't taking care of it the way I should have been…"

"Are you…gonna be okay?" Snoutlout hesitantly asks. Hiccup isn't sure if the burly teen is nervous about broaching the topic of his missing leg, or is just unfamiliar with showing concern for someone else. He smiles at his friends reassuringly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he says. "I just need to heal a little bit before I can wear my leg again," he answers with a shrug, turning again to the door.

"Hey, uh…can we…join you for dinner?" Tuffnut asks, causing Hiccup to look back again. He lifts and eyebrow as he sees his four new friends watching eagerly for his answer. After the way things had been for so many years, he's still not used to the other teens looking up to him the way they do now.

"Yeah, sure," he says with a genuine smile, which only grows when he sees them all light up at his answer.

"Let's go," he adds as he exits the shop with a nod to Gobber. The smith smiles at him as he starts to close up the shop. Hiccup hobbles out the door and makes his way towards his friends, who all circle around him, the five of them making their way to the dining hall.


	12. Chapter 12

As the five teens make their way from the forge to the Mead Hall, Tuffnut suddeny pipes up, "Hey, we should go find Astrid!"

Hiccup's eyes grow wide in surprise before the boy quickly tries to put on a nonchallant face. Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Snoutlout were watching him like a flight of hawks, however, and so catch his initial reaction. The three teens smirk to one another while Hiccup stays completely silent.

"Yeah," Ruffnut answers, "let's see if she wants to join us!" The three teens smirk at each other as they watch Hiccup struggle to keep the anxiety off of his face.

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Fishlegs says obliviously with a wide smile, totally unaware of the unspoken drama unfolding in front of him. The large teen then furrows his brow. "Wait…wouldn't that get her in trouble with her father?" he asks, remembering what Ruffnut had told the group yesterday.

Seizing upon the opportunity, Hiccup stops walking. The rest of the group stops with him as he feigns confusion and asks, "What do you mean?" The scrawny lad glances at Fishlegs, trying his best to appear genuinely confused, "Why would her father be upset if she ate with us?" The other three teens glance at each other thoughtfully, trying to gauge whether or not his reaction is genuine.

Ruffnut jumps in before the larger teen can answer. "Yeah, uhm…" she pauses as Hiccup looks at her with a furrowed brow. She glances at her brother and Snoutlout, who hesitate and glance at each other before then nodding at her.

Ruffnut looks back at Hiccup. "Her father…told her she can't see you." She says cautiously, watching the boy intently for his reaction, also with a measure of concern for him.

Putting on his best act, Hiccup drops his jaw and looks at Ruffnut in 'stunned' silence. "You're kidding!" he gasps, looking at the other teens, as if he needed their affirmation of this Midguard-shattering news. Although unbeknownst to Hiccup their source of this news was Ruffnut, the boys nonetheless nod sagely to confirm this tragic turn of events, their faces mirrored portraits of sympathy.

"I can't believe it…!" the smith's apprentice adds, looking away from the others as if in shock.

"Yeah,"Ruffnut answers sympathetically, "that's why she hasn't gone near you since you woke up."

Hiccup furrows his brow, trying his best to look downcast while saying, "Well that…does explain a lot…" He hopes the topic might change soon, as he doesn't feel very convincing in his act.

"Yeah, sorry about that, buddy," Snoutlout says as sympathetically as he can manage, clapping the smaller teen on the back, nearly knocking him over. The burly boy really was having a hard time being compassionate, but he was trying his best. "But, don't worry, we've got a plan!" he says enthusiastically.

Hiccup's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline as he suddenly finds feigning his surprise to be unnecessary, it now comes quite naturally. "Oh…!" he exclaims, not yet sure if this is good or bad news. "You, uh…you do, huh?" Snoutlout and the twins smile and nod enthusiastically, followed shortly after by Fishlegs. By the look on the large teen's face, it took him a moment to remember what the strapping young lad was talking about.

"You have a plan to…uh," Hiccup starts to answer, hesitating before finishing, "to do what, exactly…?"

"We're going to help you and Astrid get together!" Tuffnut answers enthusiastically, drawing Hiccup's gaze to him. The twins, Snoutlout, and Fishlegs all beam excitedly at the look of genuine surprise on his face.

The smaller teen starts to slowly smile at his friends as the signifiance of what they told him sets in. Since their battle with the Green Death, Hiccup had been somewhat unsure of how genuine their friendship was. Part of him worried it was merely a case of hero worship, or perhaps just sucking up to the chief's son. This gesture puts things in a whole new light, however. The four other teens grin back at him, clearly proud of his reaction.

"Wow," he says with a wide smile, looking at each of them in turn. "Thanks, guys," he says. "That's really great of you." The four look at each other with congradulatory nods.

"So, what's the plan?" Hiccup asks, causing the others' expressions to fall and look suddenly apprehensive and unsure.

"Uh," Tuffnut starts to answer, "We're still…" he looks at the others, who shrug at him. He looks at Hiccup with an apologetic half-smile, "we're still kinda…working out the details…"

The scrawny lad grins affectionately at his friends. "That's okay," he says as he starts to hobble again towards the Great Hall. "I'm sure you'll come up with something." The others walk with him, looking a little crestfallen now, even as Hiccup considers it's probably best they don't get involved.

"We've talked a lot about it," Fishlegs explains as the five make their way, "but we can't figure out how to convince her Dad to let her see you." Hiccup smiles sublimely, truly flattered by their concern for him and Astrid.

Tuffnut chimes in with a low, conspiratorial whisper. "But we did decide we could at least help you two see each other without getting caught…" The twin looks around the empty street as if to ensure no eavesdroppers were about. Hiccup smiles in slighly at this, although he's a little unsure about it. He and Astrid had decided that only his father, her mother, and Gobber should know about them being a couple, and he isn't certain how much he can trust his new friends to keep something like this quiet. They tend to be a little careless.

"Really?" Hiccup asks, failing to keep the trepidation out of his voice. "So how, uh…how will you…do that?" he asks, with a hint of anxiety. Given his experiences with the others thus far, he didn't have much confidence in their ability to achieve something this subtle.

Tuffnut smirks at Hiccup's reaction, sharing a look with his sister, who then looks to Hiccup and observes, "Something wrong, Hiccup?" she asks with a grin to mirror Tuffnut's. "You don't seem so sure in our ability to keep it a secret…"

"What?" he asks nervously, "Why, uhm…why would you say that?" Hiccup glances anxiously at the twins, worried about offending them, especially since they want to do something nice for him and Astrid.

Tuffnut moves to the other side of Hiccup so he and his sister flank the shorter teen and then puts his arm around his shoulders, smirking at him. His sister does the same as her brother says quietly, "You've got to understand, my friend, if there's one thing Ruffnut and I are good at, it's not getting caught…" Hiccup blinks in surprise at the other boy, lifting an eyebrow before glancing over at Ruffnut, who smirks in the same way, nodding knowingly.

The five of them reach the Mead Hall. The noise and bustle within spills out of the large building into the street, as does the delicious smells of roasted meats and mulled mead.

Ruffnut adds, "but we'll talk about that later." She exchanges a glance at Tuffnut, who nods knowingly. Both twins step away from Hiccup, watching him with amused smirks.

The smith's apprentice blinks in confusion a few times as the other four teens trade conspiratorial looks with one another, grinning in eager anticipation. The smaller teen hesitates, watching the other four walk up the stairs.

"You coming, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asks, looking back upon realizing he isn't with them anymore. The others stop and look back expectantly.

"Yeah," Hiccup says with a sigh as he looks down at the stairs with dread, the simple device suddenly presenting him with such a difficult obstacle. "I'm coming…" He's not about to crawl up the stairs in front of his friends, but he isn't very confident in his ability to move up them with one leg off and a crutch.

Gritting his teeth, he sets his crutch on the first step, braces himself and tries to hop up. He doesn't make it and nearly looses his balance, quickly planting the crutch into the ground next to him to stay up right. With a heavy sigh, he resigns himself to having to crawl up the stairs, but only after he's alone.

He lifts his head to tell his friends to go on in without him, but before he can open his mouth, he yelps as he suddenly finds himself being lifted up off of the ground. Snoutlout and Fishlegs are on either side of him, each having grabbed one of his arms and one of his legs to lift him up. The two carry him effortlessly up the short flight of stairs.

The scrawny teen looks over at Snoutlout in surprise, the barrel-chested lad grinning back at him before speaking.

"Don't worry. We've got ya, Hiccup."

The smith's apprentice face slowly blooms into a smile as he looks at the lad, who continues to grin confidently. Hiccup then glances over at Fishlegs, who also smiles happily at his friend.

"Thanks guys," Hiccup says with a wide smile, finding his balance once he's set down upon the top of the stairs.

The five teens make their way into the noisy Mead Hall, smiling together as they set about finding their dinner.

* * *

Astrid and her mother walk away from the blacksmith's shop, the girl sighing lamentfully as they turn the corner and she can no longer see her boyfriend. Her mother watches her with a knowing look and a sweet smile, happy beyond words at the joy she had just seen written across her daughter's face.

"I don't think I remember ever seeing you this happy before," the woman comments, her gaze lingering upon the girl as they walk along.

Surprised at her words, Astrid looks up at her mother with wide eyes and a blush on her cheeks. Meeting the woman's gaze, her lips slowly bloom into a shy smile. She hesitates for a few moments before she speaks. "He's amazing, Mom," the girl finally tells her, sighing whistfully. "Just being with him makes the world brighter."

Her mother chuckles and gives her a knowing smile. "I never thought I'd see you like this," she says fondly. Astrid blushes all the more, looking away.

"So you're in love with him, then," the woman gently asserts, watching her daughter's face intently. The girl hesitates, the directness of her mother's words surprising her as always.

Quickly enough, though, she nods with certainty. "I am," she answers with finality. "I've never felt this way before, about anyone." Her mother smiles sweetly, watching her daughter while the two make their way through the streets. "He's the one, Mom, I just know it…"

The girl hesitates, her smile falling. "I only hope we can be together," she adds, her voice choked with worry.

The woman walking along side her likewise stops smiling. Wrapping her arm around Astrid's shoulders, she hugs her daughter to her as they walk. "Have faith, child," she tells her with a reassuring voice. Astrid smiles slightly at the tone her mother used, leaning in against her. "The Gods are just," the woman adds, pausing before she continues with an amused voice, "besides, I doubt Stoic will let your father keep you away from his son for very long…" Astrid smiles at her words, thinking about what Hiccup told her last night.

As they approach their house, the two women slow their pace, both looking apprehensively at the door.

"Mom," Astrid begins, "there's something you need to know, before we go in there…"

Stopping altogether, the woman looks down at her daughter, concerned by her tone of voice. "What is it, Astrid?" she asks with a worried voice.

Looking down at her feet, the girl hesitates before saying in a small voice, "When I went to see Hiccup yesterday…" she pauses to gather her courage, her cheeks flushed a bright red. "We were…intimate…."

Her mother draws in a deep breath, frowning while asking in a hushed whisper, "Astrid, did you have sex with him…?"

Astrid hurriedly looks up, shaking her head. "No, Mom," she says emphatically, then drops her voice to a whisper. "We didn't do…that, but…" she pauses, looking down and closing her eyes as she blushes all the more. "We did do…other stuff…"

Her mother sighs, a little in relief and a little in exhasperation, looking at her daughter with a lifted eyebrow. "Well, I see somebody thinks they're all grown up, now…" Astrid turns an even darker red as she starts to fidget uncomfortably.

"I'm glad you told me this," the woman says, watching her daughter intently. "But why now? You said I needed to know before we went inside…?"

Astrid clears her throat, nodding. "Yeah," she says, pausing before she forces herself to look up at her mother. "It's not exactly…a secret…Vali found out…" Her mother's eyebrows raise up into the long, golden tresses that fall from her head as she immediately guesses what's to follow.

"That's why Dad was yelling at him when he came to talk about the contract," Astrid goes on to confrim her mother's suspicions. "He was using it to justify offering a low bride price."

The woman sighs heavily, nodding at Astrid's words. "I see," she says, pursing her lips. She looks at the door to their household, staring silently at the building they call home, though it hasn't felt like one to her for a very long time.

Looking back at her daughter, she says, "You know what we'll be walking into, then…"

Astrid looks up at her mother, nearly in tears. "I know, Mom," she says, hesitating before she adds, "I'm sorry…"

The woman tsks and smiles at her daughter with understanding, pulling her into an embrace. "There, there, child," she says. "You have nothing to be sorry for." Astrid holds her mother tightly as the woman kisses her on top of her head. "It's not your fault that your father has become such a monster. You didn't do anything wrong," she says. Astrid looks up at her in confusion.

Her mother smiles, brushing some of the errant locks of hair from her daughter's face. "Does Hiccup love you, as much as you love him?" she asks tenderly. Astrid nods slowly, watching the woman intently. Her mother smiles. "Then you were both very responsible in what you did," she says. "You shared your love with one another, but you didn't do anything that you both might regret in, oh I don't know…about nine months or so…" She grins wryly at her daughter, her voice somewhat playful at the end.

Astrid giggles in spite of herself at her mother's words, smiling now at the woman who always seems to know how to make her feel better. The girl then blushes. "Actually," she begins, "it was Hiccup that said no," she admits guiltily. "I was ready…" she pauses, then sighs before forcing herself to say, "no, I was…pushing him…to have sex with me."

Her mother's eyes again grow wide, but she grins at her daughter in wry amusement. "Truly?" she asks, watching her daughter intently as the girl looks up at her and nods, swallowing heavily. "You were insisting on it, and he said no?"

Astrid sighs, nodding. "Not just once, either," she admits guiltily, struggling to keep looking up at her mother, who stares at her, shocked. The woman then smirks wryly at her daughter, chuckling to herself. Astrid blushes all the more, looking down again.

"Well then," the woman says, "it seems you really have found the best catch on the island." Astrid glances back up at her through her bangs. "There's probably no other man in Berk or beyond who would have refused you, when all he wanted to do was say yes…"

The girl's smile slowly blooms at the woman's words. Though she had known that thruth in the back of her mind, it made a huge difference to hear it spoken aloud.

"Yeah," she says happily. "You're right…"

Smiling back at her daughter, she leans in to kiss the girl upon her forehead. "So don't worry about the two of you being kept apart by your father," the woman tells her with a beatific smile. "I won't let that happen."

Astrid overflows with joy at her mother's words, her heart surging with the first true feeling of hope that she's felt since her father first forbade her from seeing Hiccup. "Really? How?" she asks her mother in a small but eager voice.

The woman shakes her head, smiling still as she caresses her daughter's face. "That's not for you to worry about, child," she says gently. beaming at her daughter, the one thing she has left in this life to love. "Leave it to me."

Looking back at their house, she says, "It won't happen right away, but I know now what I must do." Her daughter looks at her with a confused expression. The woman glances back at Astrid, taking the girl's hand in hers. "For today, we must go and face your father's wrath."

Astrid swallows heavily, fear setting in her heart. She squeezes her mothers hand tightly, nodding as resolutely as she can.

The two women turned as one and walked into their home, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

"I'm telling you, we need to have a race," Snoutlout says emphatically to Hiccup before taking a huge bite out of his roasted chicken. Two cleaned caracasses sit piled high on the plate before him as he starts on the third.

Sighing, Hiccup puts his finished turkey leg down. His plate is otherwise empty. "Yes, that sounds like it could be fun, but that's not going to measure which dragon is the smartest!" he replies in an frustrated voice, for not the first time this afternoon.

The five teens have been eating their dinner together in the Mead Hall, brainstorming about what kind of dragon contest they could have. Hiccup had started off by suggesting various tests to see which dragon had the better reasoning skills, such as teaching them to sort different sized rocks or playing memory games. However, the other teens had quickly dismissed his ideas as boring and started talking about contests that involved speed, stamina, and strength.

Hiccup found himself annoyed to no end that these contests didn't answer the original question, even though he really didn't care who's dragon was the most intelligent.

Besides, he already knew it was Toothless.

It just would have been nice to show everyone that.

"I think a race would be perfect!" Tuffnut says with a grin. "Cuz I know we will totally win that one!" he says with a nod to his sister, whose wicked smile mirrors her brother's, the two bumping fists.

"Yeah, but we should make it more than just a race," Fishlegs adds. "We need to add something that makes it harder."

Exasperated, Hiccup throws up his hands. "Well, why don't you just toss a sheep up into the air with a catapult?" he asks, his voice is dripping with sarcasm. "We'll see which racer can catch it and fly it across the finish line without losing it to another player!" he adds hastily, trying to put forward an idea so ludicrous that it will make the other teens realize how ridiculous this entire conversation is.

Hiccup waits for the response that his idea is stupid and lame, but is surprised by the silence. Looking around the table, he sees his friends watching him with wide eyes and huge smiles. He slumps in his seat as he realizes they completely love his idea.

"Hiccup - that…is…PERFECT!" Snoutlout exclaims excitedly, half jumping out of his seat.

"Yeah!" Ruffnut answers, adding, "We could do more than one, too! Whoever gets the most sheep wins!"

"Oh! OH!" Fishlegs waves his hands excitedly to get everyone's attention. "What if the different sheep were worth different point values?" he asks enthusiastically.

"That is awesome!" Tuffnut answers, grinning as he adds with exuberance, "We could paint the sheep different colors to show how much their worth! And stuff them into baskets after crossing the finish line!"

"Oh, and we could make it an obstacle course, too!" Snoutlout proclaims eagerly. "Like, you have to weave around buildings and rocks and stuff!

Hiccup looks on with his mouth half hanging open, dumbfounded as the other teens build ferverently upon his entirely satirical suggestion. He slaps his forehead in frustration, dragging his hand over his face.

"Hiccup, you are AWESOME!" Tuffnut exclaims, drawing the smaller teen's gaze as his hand drops back to the table. Hiccup lifts his eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, like…we knew you'd come up with the best idea, EVER!" Ruffnut answers, the teens watching him with an admiring gaze. Hiccup glances over at her, the hint of a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

"How do you think of such cool things?" Fishlegs asks excitedly. Hiccup grins a little as he looks over at the large boy.

"I cannot wait to try this," Snoutlout says, bursting with enthusiasm, clenching his fists in front of him. "Hiccup, you've totally outdone yourself this time!" The smith's apprentice smiles widely at last, looking at Snoutlout. His lips lilt into an amused smirk as he thinks on the irony of the situation, though he feels heartfelt gratitude at his friends' enthusiastic appreciation for his contribution.

Even if he had meant it all as a joke.

"Wow," he says, looking at each in turn. "Thanks, guys." The other four teens smile back at him, then nod at each other.

Just then the door to the Mead Hall opens as a couple of vikings leave the building. Glancing over, Hiccup sees how the sun is now getting close to the horizon. He thinks about the long walk to Toothless' Cove and realizes that he doesn't want to have to do that in the dark with just one leg.

"Well," he says, turning around on the bench and grabbing his crutch, pushing himself up with its aide. "This has been fun, and as much as I love hanging out with you guys, it's late. I…really should get going." He says with an apologetic smile as he situates his crutch under his arm and gains his balance.

The other four teens look at him with confused expressions, peering back at the door as it opens again. They see the sun is yet above the horizon, and glance back at the smith's apprentice.

"Uh, like, the sun is still up, Hiccup," Ruffnut says in answer.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not even night time," Snoutlout says irritably, going on to ask, "Why do you need to go?"

Hiccup's mind races furiously as he looks at his friends, hurriedly trying to come up with a plausible story in the face of their upset and glaring stares. "I, uh, I need to go feed Toothless," he answers quickly, "plus I've, uh…got a lot of chores that my Dad wants me to do," he adds with a nervous smile, trying his best to sound convincing.

From the looks he's getting, it's not working.

"On a Friday night?" Tuffnut asks dubiously, lifting an eyebrow as he watches Hiccup critically.

"Who's parent gives them chores on a Friday?" Snoutlout asks, looking sideways at the scrawny lad.

Hiccup shrugs, still forcing his nervous smile. "What can I say?" he asks, "It's the life of a chieftan's son, ya know? Lots of responsibility and…stuff…"

The other teens exchange skeptical glances with each other as he starts to edge himself away from the group. "So, uh…I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?" he asks, still smiling anxiously at them.

"Yeah, sure," Fishlegs says, a measure of disappointment and irritation in his voice. Hiccup's smile falls, feeling bad as he sees same sentiment written upon the faces of all his friends.

Hiccup waves half-heartedly, and turns to go, gritting his teeth. In doing so, he completely misses the conspiratorial look the four share as he starts to hobble away.

"Hey, Hiccup…" Tuffnut calls out with an impish tone, causing the lad to stop and look back at them over his shoulder. The smaller teen furrows his brow with concern as the lot of them all grin at him mischeviously. They say nothing for a moment or two, leaving Hiccup to squirm under their collective gaze.

Ruffnut breaks the silence.

"Tell Astrid we said hi."

* * *

Astrid walks follows behind as her mother as the older woman resolutely opens the door to their house and walks confidently inside. Although she seems ready to handle what will follow, the girl that follows behind is downright afraid.

She hates feeling this way, but her father is such a hard and dangerous man that she can only imagine what he will do to her because of the news that Vali had brought. Her father would have been furious enough in the first place with just the news of her behavior, but for those same actions to have directly damaged or even destroyed his plans, it leaves the the young teen in dread fear for her safety.

It wouldn't be the first time that her father had struck her or her mother. It wasn't often that he hit them, and he usually only managed to get in one blow before Astrid's mother would threaten him with divorce, which always put a stop to his brutality. Most of the time he only hit them when he had been drinking.

But still, the threat of violence always hung in the air like a foul stentch.

This time, though, Astrid worries it might go well beyond the usual mild abuse. She wonders if her mother would be able to stop him once more with words alone.

Astrid wouldn't go down without a fight, of course. But still, her father is such a bear of a man that she knows there is little chance she could prevail.

As the two enter into the dimly lit household, they look around for Thorsten. The firepit is not burning as brightly as it typically does, and the windows are closed, in spite of the sun still being up. Astrid closes the door behind them as her mother stays in front, ready to protect her daughter if they face the worst. The girl feels like she should be the first to face him since this is all her fault. Besides, her mother is not a fighter, though sometimes the teen finds herself forgetting that, given how her mother stands up to the brute they have to live with.

"So the young harlot and the shrew return."

The two stiffen at the sound of his bitter voice, coming immediately from their left. By the slurring of his words, they can tell that he's drunk again. They can't see him yet, as their eyes are still adjusting to the dim light, but they can tell that he's very close.

Astrid's mother reaches back to grab her daughter's arm protectively. "We had a very fruitful trip to the market," the woman says, completely ignoring the man's scornful remark. She answers in a casual tone, though Astrid can hear the undercurrent of tension in her voice. "We were able to buy the materials for Astrid's wedding dress quite inexpensively."

The two stand in silence, waiting anxiously for him to reply.

"There won't be a wedding," the man finally answers in a sour tone. Astrid feels a surge of excitement at his words, even as the hostile way he spits them out make her all the more afraid of what's to come. "Your daughter put an end to that with her wanton behavior."

"Oh, so the deal with Vali fell through?" her mother asks gaurdedly, clearly sharing Astrid's concern about his mood. With their eyes more adjusted to the low lighting, the two can now see Thorsten sitting in a chair that faces the door, about ten feet from where they stand. The woman moves slightly to put herself more between Astrid and her father.

"Vali's offer price was…pathetic," he says with a spiteful growl before taking a long pull from the bottle he holds in his hand. "When I asked him why he would offer such paltry sum, he told me that Astrid was no longer pure…"

Astrid's gut churns as she hears her father spit out the words. The fear in her grows, even as she feels a measure of shame. She forces herself to remember her mother's words, affirming that there was nothing wrong with what she did with Hiccup. Nonethelss, the girl feels her guilt start to rise as her father's words eat at her inside. She clenches her fists in frustration.

"Well, it's a shame Vali couldn't offer you the price you wanted," her mother says, sounding indifferent. "Perhaps you need to seek a contract elsewhere…"

"Did you hear what I said about Astrid?" the man growls. "She's a Gods forsaken whore!" he bellows, throwing his bottle into the fire. The glass explodes as it smashes into the wood, a small ball of flame belching up as the remaining alchohol is ignited.

The girl flinches at the fiery display while wincing at the words, her heart clenching in her chest as she absorbs his slander. She tries to ignore the disgust she feels. She can't tell if it's how she feels about him or herself.

"You're drunk, Thorsten," Astrid's mother replies flatly. "It's probably time you go and sleep it off…"

The man jumps out of his chair at her words, barelling across the room to quickly close the distance between them. Astrid's heart jumps into her throat and she jumps back, glancing around for a weapon. Her mother raises her one arm defensively, which the man grabs at the wrist, holding her tightly. He presses his body against hers, staring heatedly into her eyes.

"I said," he snarls slowly, his words dripping with venom, "our daughter is a Gods-forsaken, fucking whore…"

"Stop it, Dad!" Astrid calls out, on the verge of tears at the sight of him assaulting her mother. "Leave Mom alone!" The burly man turns his head to look at the girl at her words.

"Astrid, no!" her mother protests, only for Thorsten to push her down and charge Astrid.

The girl starts to dodge but he catches her with his arm and throws her back against the wall. Astrid hits hard, clipping the corner of a table with her side, crying out in pain. Her father charges forward and grabs her by the neck, lifting her off of her feet to pin her to the wall.

"You fucking whore," he snarls at her as the girl struggles, gasping for breath. "You just couldn't keep your legs closed for the Haddock boy, could you?"

Astrid starts to see stars as she scratches at his hand, trying to pull his fingers apart, but the man's grip is like iron. She chokes as he pins her and she wonders if she's going to die when suddenly a bottle smashes over the back of his head, the liquid splashing over him, some of the mead splattering over Astrid.

The man instantly crumples, releasing his daughter, who drops to the floor while coughing and gasping. The girl pants heavily, sucking in as much air as she can with each gulp of breath.

Quickly regaining her senses, Astrid grabs the nearest thing on the table that she when she was knocked into the wall. She finds herself wielding a large cast-iron pan, but doesn't stop to dwell on it. Looking down at the man's body piled in a heap before her, she nudges him cautiously with her foot.

He doesn't move.

Astrid looks up at her mother in a panic. "Is he dead?" she asks fearfully.

Her mother glances at her as she drops the broken off neck of the bottle that she had shatered over her husband's head. "We should only be so lucky," she says with a sigh, kneeling down without hesitation. She holds her hand in front of the mans mouth, then smirks wryly.

"The Gods have spared him," she says as she stands up. "He'll probably sleep until morning now," she adds as she looks at Astrid, who is putting the pan back on the table. "Are you alright?" she asks with deep concern, quickly stepping over the her husband's body to have a close look at her daugher. She takes Astrid's face in her one hand, turning her face this way and that.

"I'm fine, Mom," the girl tells her with as steady a voice as she can manage, trying to ignore the stinging pain she feels on her side where she caught the table. There will be a bruise there, she can tell already. Her throat is sore now, too. She's still trembling and her heart races as she looks back down at the crumpled form.

As her mother releases her and lowers her hand, the girl asks, "but what about when he wakes up? He'll probably want to kill us both for that…"

Her mother smiles knowingly at her daughter, chuckling slightly. "Oh, dont you worry about that," she says. "Your father is so drunk, he won't remember a thing in the morning." Sighing, she adds, "he never does…"

The girl nods, looking back up at her mother. "Mom," she says hesitantly, her voice shaking, "those things he said about me…"

Astrid's mother shakes her head vehemently, putting her fingers over the girl's lips. "Shush," she tells her firmly. "What did I tell you about that?" she asks quietly.

Looking down at the ground as her mother lowers her hand away from her mouth, the girl says quietly, "that Hiccup and I did nothing wrong…"

"That's right," the woman tells her daughter firmly. "Don't you ever forget it, and don't let his words or anybody else's convince you otherwise."

"Yes, Mom," Astrid answers, nodding resolutely. Her mother wraps the girl up in her arms, squeezing her tightly. The teen hugs her back, the two women taking comfort in each other.

"Now, help me drag him to bed," her mother says as they pull apart. "Then I'll make us some dinner and we can talk some more."

Astrid nods and is about to move to do so, when her mother adds, "afterwards, you can go to the meeting you've planned with Hiccup…"

The girl looks up at her mother with surprise at her words, her mouth hanging half open. The woman only grins smugly. "I was young and in love once too, you know," she tells her daughter with an amused tone.

Astrid starts to smile when her mother adds, "besides, I heard everything you said to the boy when we visted him at the forge." The girl looks at her with a shocked expression. The woman only smirks all the more. "You really do need to learn to be a little more quiet, Astrid," she adds, then furrows her brow in surprise when her daughter's cheeks color such a bright red.

Deciding it's best not to probe as to why, she directs Astrid to help her move Thorsten's body to his bed. The two then go about preparing their dinner, relaxing as they start to enjoy a quiet evening together.


	13. Chapter 13

Hiccup sits on a rock by the large pool in Toothless' Cove, shivering in the dark as he waits for Astrid. He has been waiting for her for a while, watching the moon rise above the high rock walls, passing the time by reviewing his notebook in its pale light, sometimes making a few notes here and there.

Sighing as he looks at the moonbeams glinting across the gently rippling water, the boy wonders if Astrid won't be able to join him tonight. While the thought leaves him somewhat unsettled and insecure, he's now confident that if she doesn't show up, it's not of her own choosing.

With a heavy sigh he looks back at his book, deciding he'll wait a while longer yet. He ponders staying the whole night, just in case. The idea of waiting all night for her has another appeal as well. He doesn't want to walk home through the forest in the dark, with just his one leg. He had figured that she would accompany him home at the end of their visit, so he wasn't worried about the return trip.

But if she doesn't show up, it may be safer for him to wait until daylight to venture back through the forest to go home. That was why he brought the blanket and bedroll with him, both retrieved from his house before he made his way here.

Well, it was one reason he brought them, anyway.

If Astrid does show up, Hiccup has no doubt that they'll put the bedroll to good use. He starts to smile as his mind wanders in that direction, then squirms as he suddenly finds the need to adjust his pants.

Grunting in frustration as he gets himself getting excited at the thought of being with his girlfriend, he tries to distract himself again with his book. He frowns at one of his sketches as he gives it a critical eye, wondering what he was thinking when he applied that level of torque to the drive mechanism. He starts to scratch furiously at the page, crossing out the old value and writing in a more reasonable figure when he hears a familiar, feminine voice call out from behind him.

"Careful there, Hiccup, you'll ruin your book…"

The boy turns to see Astrid walking up behind him with a wide smile upon her lips. His face lights up at the sight of her.

"Hi, Astrid," he greets her, sighing happily as she sits next to him on the opposite side of the rock and cups his face in her hands. He barely gets the words out before she presses her lips against his, kissing him deeply. Hiccup's arms immediately wrap around her slender waist, pulling her against him as he answers her kiss passionately, moaning softly into her mouth while their tongues wrestle fiercely. His hands roam over her back and he feels her suck in her breath, a shiver running through her body. He smiles as her hands likewise move, reaching around to play with the hair at the back of his head, her arms wrapping tightly about his neck to hold him to her.

The two kiss with wild abandon, finding warmth and comfort in one another. Hiccup forgets about the chill night air as this goddess in his arms presses her body pressed against his.

They lose all sense of time as they kiss, now finally alone and once more free from the risk of discovery. Astrid's hands start to wander over his body, sending his pulse racing. He takes the same liberty, his one hand moving around to her front. He reaches for one of her breasts, cupping her curved flesh with his hand and squeezing. His touch draws a surprised, throaty moan from the girl as his other hand moves down her back and towards her bottom.

She smiles against his lips as she slides her one hand down his torso and below, rubbing over his stiff erection, making him groan huskily into their kiss. She applies more pressure, gripping his length firmly as he whimpers against her lips, his kisses becoming all the more needy.

Losing herself in the moment, Astrid climbs over the rock to get closer to the boy, lifting her leg over his lap to straddle him. As she does, her knee hits his crutch that had been resting on the rock next to him, sending it to the ground with a wooden clatter.

Settling into his lap, Astrid breaks the kiss to glance with a furrowed brow at what she hit that made the noise. Hiccup's heart jumps into his throat at the sound that draws his girlfriend's attention. He quickly leans in to kiss her neck passionately, desperately hoping to distract her.

"Hiccup," she asks breathlessly, clearly affected by his lips and tongue caressing her alabaster skin. "Why…" she pauses as he flicks his tongue over where her pulse beats. Drawing in a deep breath, she tries again. "Why'd you bring…" Hiccup sucks on her neck there, swirling his tongue around, causing Astrid to stop talking again, her voice slipping into a throaty moan. Thoughtlessly, she runs her fingers through his hair.

After another moment, she forces out quickly, "Why'd you bring your crutch?"

"Mmmph?" he answers, continuing to press his his lips against her flesh while stroking her with his tongue. He starts nibbling her with his teeth while running his hands down her back to grasp her behind. Grabbing her curves tightly, he pulls her to him and presses her crotch against his hard erection, grinding himself against her with slow motions of his hips.

The girl moans loudly, clearly distracted, her hands moving to his shoulders, gripping him tightly. She even spreads her legs wider and starts moving her hips along with his as the feelings overwhelm her.

The lad continues with a smile, thinking he's done it, sighing happily as he kisses her neck with a passionate intensity.

"Hiccup," she says more firmly, using her hands upon his shoulders to gently push him back enough to look at him. "What's with the crutch?" she asks as she looks into his eyes. Faced with her inquisitive stare, the boy quickly falters and glances back at her with an anxious look on his face, unsure of what to say.

Astrid's brows furrow with a mix of concern and anger at his reaction. She half moves off of him to turn and have a look at his lower half.

Hiccup closes his eyes and braces himself.

"Hiccup," she says with worry and an edge to her voice that lets him know she is now very serious, "Why aren't you wearing your leg?"

The boy hesitates for a moment, trying to find the right words. As he does, Astrid straddles him again, but there's no longer anything sexual about it.

Now he feels like he's been pinned after a fight. A very short fight that he immediately lost, one he probably never had a chance of winning. Her hands that still rest upon his shoulders now tighten, making him feel all the more trapped.

"What happened?" she growls with a growing anger at his continued silence, though her voice carries a thick strain of worry. Her eyes burrow into his as she waits for his answer.

Fear wells up in him as he tries again to find his words, only partly succeeding. "I, uhm…well…that is, I…"

Astrid's eyes narrow and glint dangerously in the moonlight as she loses what little patience she had left. Gripping his shoulders all the more tightly, her fingers bite into his flesh. She utters a single word.

"Talk."

Closing his eyes and sighing, he forces himself to just spit it out.

"Yesterday, on the island when we first laid together, sand got into my leg," he explains. "It was really sharp, and so whenever I put my weight on it, I cut my stump." His cheeks flush deeply as he forces the words. He pauses, getting ready to continue when Astrid interrupts him.

"Is that why you were limping yesterday?" she asks, her voice a blend of concern and barely controlled anger. He opens his eyes to look at her, swallowing heavily at the sight of her expression which shows the same mix of emotions.

"Partly," he tells her. "Sand is just hard for me to walk on now, but I had hurt myself when I tried to get up that first time."

Astrid frowns, her face dark as she thinks back to the memory of it.

"So what happened?" she finally asks, her voice softening as her hands fall from his shoulders to rest upon her legs.

Sighing, Hiccup relates the rest of the story. "When I got home, Gobber made me take off my leg. I was…" he hesitates, but when she lifts an eyebrow in warning at him, he forces himself to continue. "My stump was all torn up and bloodied." He falters as he sees Astrid's hard countenance crack with deep concern for him.

"But I'm fine now," he says hurriedly, trying to sound reassuring, his arms around her tightening slightly. "Gobber fixed me up! I went to see the healer today, she gave me some medicine, and I'm totally on the mend," he tells her, smiling comfortingly. "It's not bleeding anymore," he adds, then quickly amends when she furrows her eyebrows, "well…not…really." He had forgotten Astrid has more experience than him with wounds and she knows well enough that an injury as severe as he described wouldn't heal that quickly.

"So you can't wear your leg again until your stump finishes healing?" she asks, somewhat rhetorically. Hiccup nods with a sigh. She looks at him with a considering gaze, staring deeply into his eyes. Hiccup squirms under the intensity of it, worried about what she might ask next.

"Why didn't you just take your leg off and clean out the sand in the first place?" she asks pointedly.

The lad cringes at the question he didn't want to have to answer. He blushes as he hesitates, then swallows while forcing himself to tell her.

"I…I didn't want you to see me without my leg," he says forlornly, feeling ashamed now. Astrid furrows her brow in confusion, sitting back a little on his lap.

"Why not?" she asks gently, the sharp edge that she had been weilding in her voice slipping away, though not completely.

Hiccup clenches his teeth, hesitating. He looks down. "I…I can't say," he tells her, pausing before he looks back up into her confused and now more angry gaze. "Not without breaking the promise I made to you, yesterday…"

Perplexed, she stares at him, trying to make sense of his words. He watches her, swallowing heavily as he waits for her to put it together. Then she frowns and then he knows she understands.

"Dammit, Hiccup!" she shouts angrily, punching his arm. "You are not a cripple!"

"Astrid," he says, rubbing where she struck him, the emotions weighing heavily upon him, "it's all well and good for you to say that, but I am! If going through today without my fake leg showed me anything, it's that I am a cripple!" She scowls at his words and opens her mouth to answer, but he bulls on before she can interrupt. "I can't walk without my crutch! I can't do some things I used to. I fell several times today, just trying to do simple tasks!" He sighs, "I walk slower with my crutch. I can't even climb stairs without help. If there isn't any help, then I have to crawl up them like a dog!"

The girl in his lap watches him intently, still scowling, though in her eyes he can see the deep concern she has for him.

"So why couldn't you let me see you without your leg?" she asks in such a tender voice that he blinks in surprise. He swallows bitterly, looking away, unable to keep staring into those caring eyes of hers.

"Because…" he starts to say, his voice already faltering, "because I was worried about what you would think." He pauses, waiting for her outburst. When she says nothing, he glances back up at her, surprised to see a deep look of compassion and worry.

He sighs heavily, glancing down again as he explains, "you're…you're an amazing warrior and athlete…you did such fantastic physical feats during training…" gritting his teeth, he hesitates again. Taken aback by her continued silence, he looks up at her, his breath catching as he sees the heavy emotion upon her face. "Even before it happened, I could never compare," he says, forcing himself to keep looking into her eyes. "But, now that I'm missing half a leg…" his voice falls off as he can find no more words and can only stare into her eyes.

Astrid moves quickly, cupping his face in her hands as she leans in to press her lips to his. Hiccup moans softly in surprise, hesitating before he kisses back. The girl in his lap leans in against him, caressing his face tenderly as she lingers in the kiss. She glides her tongue lovingly over his lips. Sighing happily, he opens up for her, moaning softly into her mouth as she sweetly and gently kisses him. Her hands glide back and she entangles her fingers into his hair while her tongue entwines with his, stroking him softly.

She kisses him for a while before pulling back, her hands still gently cupping his face. "Come on, Hiccup," she says in a tender whisper, staring into his eyes. "I didn't fall in love with you because of your physical prowess," she says, then playfully adds with a grin, "though I have to say your sexual prowess definitely makes you a keeper…" Hiccup looks at her with wide eyes, astounded by her words. She giggles at his reaction, drawing a genuine smile from him.

Beaming at the sight of his happiness, she slides her hands down his neck until she reaches the edge of his shirt, her gaze drifting down with her fingers. "You know why I fell in love with you," she says in a coy voice, her cheeks coloring slightly as she plays with the leather cord that pulls together his tunic's neckline. She glances bashfully up at him through her bangs, a demure smile on her lips.

Hiccup smiles at her, wrapping his arms tightly about her waist, pulling her closer to him. Astrid watches him intently, waiting.

"I know," he admits, leaning in to brush his lips against hers. She smiles at his touch, kissing back and then looking into his eyes again as he pulls away. He shrugs, "but, you had asked me why I didn't want to take off my leg in front of you, back on the island…"

She lifts an eyebrow at him asking, "So…you don't feel that way anymore?"

The boy hesitates, looking away and furrowing his brow as he thinks about it. "I dunno," he tells her. "Maybe…"

Astrid waits quietly as he ponders the question. Her fingers still idly play with the leather string in his shirt. "It's," he starts to say, drawing her gaze to his face as he pauses again, still collecting his thoughts.

"It's not easy, going from the village screw up to the hero who got the girl," he says, struggling with the words. "I mean, I'm used to everyone always hating everything I do, calling it ridiculous and useless. I'm used to being laughed at, yelled at, being considered a nuisance. My whole life, I never measured up because I couldn't swing an axe or lift a hammer, let alone fight."

He hesitates, then adds. "I…I keep feeling like I need to measure up to those things, I keep expecting things to go back to the way they were," he says in a small voice before then falling silent.

Astrid watches him with growing emotion. She had never been comfortable with how everyone treated Hiccup before, even though she was just as frustrated as anyone with his accidents and how different he was.

She hesitates, then asks, "are you…are you worried that you and I will go back to how it was before?"

Hiccup glances up at her with a half smirk. "Nah," he tells her. "Not anymore," he adds with a mischevious glint in his eye, the sight of which makes Astrid smile. "If you've done anything in the last couple of days, it's shown me quite clearly how much you love me…"

Astrid smiles all the more, blushing slightly. "But," he continues, "I mean…we've only been a couple for a day and a half…I can't…I can't promise I won't worry sometimes…"

Again she cups his face in her hands and leans in to kiss him, this time with a hungry fury that catches Hiccup off guard. Her tongue pushes into his mouth and she leans against him, pressing her soft curves against his body. He cries out against her mouth in surprise but meets her kiss eagerly, his one arm wrapping tightly about her waist while he braces himself against the rock with the other to keep upright against her assault. The girl grinds her crotch against his, smiling against his lips as she feels him immediately respond, his erection quickly returning as he moves his own hips along with hers.

She kisses him with a fiery passion for a while, rubbing her body eagerly against him as she runs her fingers all through his hair, caressing him before she finally pulls back to stare into his eyes. Out of breath, he looks up at her with a sense of wonder as he searches her gaze. Smirking at the sight of his hair very much askew, the girl looks deeply into his eyes and smiles widely, then whispers, "Just promise to let me know whenever you're feeling insecure or worried about us," she says, stroking and caressing his cheeks with her fingers, "and I promise I'll never hesitate to show you each time just how much I love you, Hiccup…"

The boy smiles from ear to ear at her, holding her tightly in his arms, pressing her against him. "I promise, Astrid," he says solemnly, overflowing with joy.

"I love you," he tells her, his voice thick with emotion.

"I love you too," she tells him, kissing him again, then pulling back to look into his eyes, "and I'll never stop loving you. I'm yours, forever."

Hiccup closes his eyes happily at her words, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out with a smile upon his lips. He looks into her eyes again to see her smiling from ear to ear. His one hand slides up her back to grasp the back of her head, pulling her down into another kiss. This time, he's as forceful as she was, making her shiver in his arms as their tongues wrestle fiercely. His hips eagerly thrust up against hers as his other hand slides down to grasp her bottom and press her against him, drawing a soft whimper from the girl as he embraces her tightly in his arms. She grinds against his erection, both of them moving their hips together as they kiss passionately, frantically.

Hiccup breaks the kiss, both of them panting while he whispers against her mouth, "If…if you still want to," he hesitates, his hot breath spilling over her face, "to…have sex with me…I…I'd be willing to, now…" Astrid pulls back to look into his eyes with a stunned expression, her loins growing warm and her heart surging at his offer, even as she becomes extremely nervous.

"Why…" she starts to answer, her voice thick with anxiety and her gut twisting in anticipation, "why'd you change your mind?" she asks.

He looks down, blushing. "Because…" he glances back up at her, "because I want to show you how much I love you…"

Astrid smiles widely at him, her heart leaping at his answer, even as she dreads now having to be the one to make the mature decision. Every fiber in her body is crying out to just give in and let him take her, but what her mother said sticks in her head, compelling her to make the right choice. Her heart pounds in her chest as her breath comes quickly. She feels the heat rising between her legs as her desire burns intensely in her core.

Gripping his shoulders tightly, she closes her eyes in frustration and sighs raggedly, touching her forehead to his. "Gods, Hiccup," she complains in a whisper, "you really know how to torment me…"

The boy furrows his brow in confusion at her words, causing her to smirk when she opens her eyes and sees his reaction. Sitting up a little, she smiles warmly and strokes his cheek, saying, "all I want to do is say yes and let you have your way with me…" she closes her eyes and draws in a deep breath, sighing.

"But you were right, before. We should wait until we're married…" the words pain her, but she knows they're right. Opening her eyes, she looks at her boyfriend again.

Hiccup looks at her with such a disappointed gaze that Astrid nearly changes her mind on the spot. Gritting her teeth, she sighs and decides to hold firm.

"We don't want to get pregnant," she reminds him in a whisper, her one hand stroking over his cheek, caressing him lovingly.

The boy sighs, nodding sullenly as he looks down. Smirking, she adds, "at least…not yet…" He glances up at her again, a smile peaking at the corners of his mouth.

Grinning, Astrid says quietly, "but that doesn't mean you…that you can't do…other things…to show me how much you love me…"

The lad's eyes grow wide and excited, a smile upon his face. His hand starts to move towards her crotch, but she grasps his wrist and slowly shakes her head. He furrows his brow, making the girl smirk excitedly at him as she starts to feel butteflies in her stomach. He looks at her with even greater confusion, half opening his mouth as he tries to form a question. Her breath comes heavily again as the anticipation builds in her, now that the moment she's been waiting for since last night is here.

Smiling sublimely, Astrid leans in to bring her lips to his ear, whispering, "I…" she hesitates, trying to build up the courage. "I want you to kiss me," she begins, faltering before quickly she quickly adds, "…down there."

She feels his whole body stiffen at her words. Emboldened by his reaction, she grins from ear to ear and says further, "I want you to lick me…between my legs…" his arms tighten around her waist, pulling her closer. The girl shivers in excitement as she wraps her arms tightly about his neck, pressing her lips against his ear and says breathily, " I want you to make me cum…with your mouth…against my pussy."

She feels his body shiver against her and she impulsively sucks on his ear, flicking her tongue over him. The boy moans as he holds her tightly, grasping at her behind and grinding his hardness against her. Astrid whimpers as she holds him tightly, pushing back with her hips. Hiccup turns his head to look at her with an eager gaze and a wide smile. As she stares back into his eyes, she feels her cheeks burning as her heart races. Part of her wishes she'd never said anything, but the rest of her is bursting with excitement.

Hiccup's smile grows a he sees her anxiety, his heart pounding in his chest. He can't believe what Astrid just asked him to do, but he's not about to let this opportunity pass him by. "How about you spread out the bedroll I brought?" he asks her quietly, staring intently into her eyes. He smirks as her eyebrows lift in surprise at his words, her lips starting to lilt into an amused grin.

"Bedroll? Aren't you getting a little presumptuous?" she asks with a slightly lifted eyebrow.

He chuckles, answer, "This from the girl who's been trying to jump me since I admitted I love her?"

Astrid narrows her eyes and grins all the more, playfully reminding him, "Hey, I was the one that just told you no."

His smirk lilts as he leans in to press his lips to her ear and whisper huskly, "You're also the girl who just asked me to make her cum with my tongue on her pussy…" Astrid sucks in her breath at his words, an excited shiver running through her body as he grips her behind with both hands and grinds his hardness against her. She closes her eyes as her heart races again, her breath growing heated as she unthinkingly rubs her hips along with his motion, whimpering softly as he holds her tightly. Hiccup starts to nibble and suck on her ear, as she had done to him, causing her to grip his back tightly and press her hips more firmly against him, rubbing her crotch against his all the harder.

"Why don't you lay out the bedroll?" he asks breathily in her ear. Astrid nods quickly and wordlessly, getting up and looking around for it. Hiccup taps the roll with his foot, smiling as she eagerly grabs it and then hastily unties the strings that fasten it. She kneels on the ground and unrolls the bedding.

She then stands and grips the waist of her skirt and leggings to push them down, but Hiccup impulsively grabs her by the wrists. She looks at him with a confused expression, furrowing her brow slightly as he shakes his head and smirks at her.

"I'll do that," he tells her while staring intently into her eyes. He nervously watches her, waiting for her reaction. The girl's pulse races at his words, and she quietly nods, swallowing heavily.

Feeling more nervous than ever, Hiccup slides off the rock to kneel before her and puts her hands to her sides. Gripping the waist of her skirt, he hooks his thumbs inside it, rubbing against her flesh. He looks up into her eyes as he slowly starts to pull her skirt and leggings down. Astrid's breath comes more quickly as she watches him intently, staring back into his intense gaze as her gut twists in nervous anticipation.

Steadily he peels her clothing down, his gaze falling away from hers as he slowly pulls the top of her clothes over her hips and bottom, revealing her blonde triangle to him. The lad smiles widely and stares at the sight, thrilled to see it up close. Astrid's heart races as she watches him lean in, his face hovering so close she can feel his breath tickling her hair. He pauses for a moment until she's about to say something, when suddenly she feels his tongue press against her, pushing between her lips and probing between them.

Astrid gasps loudly, her hands going to his head as he presses his lips against hers. He continues to push her leggings and skirt down past her knees as he rubs her crotch with his lips and tongue. The girl quickly spreads her legs as much as she can to give him better access, awkward as it is while she stands. His heart racing, Hiccup drags his tongue down as she opens herself up to him, stroking over her folds, causing the girl to moan throatily at the feeling.

Once more, he's amazed by the velvety softness of her skin down here, but he's even more stunned by how wet she is. For the first time, he tastes her nectar, smelling it as he breathes in deeply, the sweetness of it driving him wild.

He finds her opening with his tongue, which he starts to lick with slow movements, slowly working his tongue inside of her. Astrid grips his hair tightly, her knees weakening as he drags his tongue back up and finds that raised spot, rubbing over it.

"I…" she starts to say, pausing to moan louder as he rubs over that spot. "I need to lie down," she says, whimpering as his continues to linger there. She sucks in her breath as he grabs her ass tightly with both hands, his fingers gripping her cheeks firmly as his tongue rubs against her hardened nub, causing her knees to buckle.

"Please?" she pleads, causing Hiccup to pull away and look up at her, grinning like the cat that got the cream. In the back of her mind, Astrid is annoyed at how smug he looks, but she's too eager for him to continue to care about that right now.

"Go ahead," he says, but then reaches up to caress her slit with his finger, very gently rubbing from her clit to her opening, quickly darting his digit inside of her. Astrid gasps and grabs his shoulder for support. She glares at him as he pulls his hand away and smiles at her.

Moving quickly so he doesn't have another chance to tease her, she lays back on the bedroll. Hiccup crawls to her, first stopping to remove her one boot so he can pull that leg out of her leggings and skirt. Freed from that constraint, Astrid spreads her legs widely for him, suddenly feeling very scared and self conscious as she exposes herself to him so completely.

She watches him anxiously to see his reaction.

"Gods, but you're beautiful," he whispers, looking at her naked lower half with wide eyes, his gaze roaming excitedly. He then starts to crawl towards her as he looks up into her eyes. Astrid's breath comes more quickly as he approaches, gasping as he leans in and starts to kiss her inner thighs, slowly making his way to her sex. The closer he gets, the slower he goes, making Astrid start to squirm with anticipation.

Closing her eyes and whimpering in frustration, the girl makes a mental note to torture him just like this, the next time she sucks on him.

She's about to bark at him to get on with it, when suddenly she feels the flat of his tongue press against her lips, parting them and sliding up from her opening to the raised nub. She cries out, her one hand quickly moving to grab his hair. Hiccup then lingers at her clit, rubbing it with gentle strokes, his tongue swirling around her.

The cove echoes with Astrid's loud moans as she starts to breathe heavily at his touch, her hand tightening in his hair as he lingers deliciously upon that spot. Hiccup smiles from ear to ear as he glories in pleasuring his girlfriend like this, excited beyond all reason. He stares up at her from his vantage point, lingering lazily against her raised nub while savoring the taste of her. The longer he does, the more she starts to move, which only broadens his smile.

Astrid quickly loses herself in the passion her boyfriend pours into her with the movement of his lips and tongue upon her sex. She tightens her fingers in his hair, pressing his face all the more against her crotch as he laps at her swollen nub. Rocking her hips with his every motion, she finds her body heats up quickly, her blood racing as she feels the growing pleasure from his touch. The girl whimpers a little bit in frustration as he drags his tongue down to her opening, but then cries out as he licks her inside, rubbing her with fast strokes of his tongue. In the back of her mind, she wonders if she'll ever be able to pleasure herself again, as nothing will compare with this, but with another flick of his tongue, she forgets her train of thought as the ecstacy once more overwhelms her.

Hiccup laps hungrily at her vagina, darting his tongue inside, savoring the taste of her juices. He rubs his hands over her thighs as he lingers there, thoroughly enjoying himself before moving up to her clit again, his tongue swirling around it. As the girl's very vocal cries and moans fill the Cove, Hiccup is very glad that they're out in the middle of nowhere. He loves hearing her like this, and is happy beyond reason to be the cause of such pleasure for her.

Astrid starts to writhe on the ground at his touch, making him smile wickedly against her flesh as he again starts to rub her nub quickly. The girl arches her back and gasps loudly at the new motion, starting to rock her hips again with his movements.

"That…" she gasps raggedly between loud moans, forcing out, "Don't stop…that…"

Her boyfriend diligently follows her instructions and continues to lap at her clit in exactly the same way. She moves her hips more wildly with his tongue's motions, again arching her back as the heat in her sex builds quickly. The girl's cries get sharper and louder with every stroke of his tongue against her, driving Hiccup to moan along with her. The sound and feel of his vocalizations against her flesh is too much and she peaks, her vision going white as her whole body tenses up. She screams a primal cry while she feels the burning heat in her core, her hips bucking wildly against Hiccup's face.

The lad laps hungrily at her clit as his girlfriend screams at the top of her lungs, grabbing his head with both hands and pressing him against her sex. He moans happily as he keeps stroking her, grabbing her ass and squeezing as she lifts her trembling hips up. Her legs shake as she thrusts against him. Astrid keeps screaming loudly, rubbing her crotch against his face as he laps at her pulsating clit, waves of pleasure crashing through her body.

Suddenly it's all too much and the touch of his tongue there overwhelms her.

"S-Stop!" she cries out desperately, relieved when Hiccup instantly obeys.

Astrid lays exhausted upon the bedroll, her breath coming in heavy gulps as she feels her heart pounding in her ears. Her body shakes as the passion she felt slowly recedes. For a moment, she stares up into the starry night sky and wonders where Hiccup went, as she doesn't feel him touching her anymore.

Then suddenly the boy is laying down beside her, pulling a warm, woolen blanket over them both. Smiling from ear to ear, Astrid quickly rolls over to push herself half on top of him, before he even has a chance to fully situate himself on the bedroll. Hiccup makes a surpised noise as he tries to get settled with her clutching at him, the two clumsily shifting and adjusting until they're both comfortable.

Sighing happily, she hugs him and finds herself exceedingly glad for the blanket. She hadn't even realized how cold she was quickly getting as the flames of her passion ever so slowly started to cool.

Hiccup smiles from ear to ear as he squeezes her to him in his arms, kissing the top of her head. "Soooo…I guess you liked that, huh?" he asks playfully.

Astrid squeezes him tightly in answer, pressing her face against his chest as she listens to his heart beating. "Oh, Gods, Hiccup," she answers breathlessly tilting her head to look up at him, still trying to calm down. "I've never felt anything that good…"

Her boyfriend smirks as he looks into her eyes and starts to rub her back again, "so did I make your toes curl?" he asks her with an amused lilt to his voice.

The girl rolls her eyes at his question. "Yes, Hiccup," she assures him, "You made my toes curl. You also made my back arch, my whole body shake, and I think anyone within a couple of leagues knows what we just did…"

He chuckles at her answer, his hands roaming more freely over her back as he answers, "Well I knew about the rest of it, I just wanted to make sure that I also got your toes to curl…"

The girl smiles again, feeling sated and happy as she snuggles up to Hiccup beneath the covers, her troubles from earlier that night long forgotten.

Forgotten, that is, until Hiccup's hand happens to rub firmly over the spot where she caught the table when her father threw her back agains the wall.

The girl gasps as her face contorts in pain when he presses the bruise on her side, her whole body flinching as she holds him more tightly.

"Astrid?" Hiccup asks with a very concerned, almost panicked tone of voice.

"What's wrong?"


	14. Chapter 14

"Astrid, what's the matter?"

Hiccup's voice is more urgent as he asks for the second time, the panic in his voice growing as his girlfriend remains silent.

The last thing Astrid had wanted to do tonight was to explain to her boyfriend that her father hits her. It wasn't something people outside of her family knew about, and her mother had put a great deal of effort into keeping it a secret. The girl didn't want to have to answer all of the questions that would follow, or deal with the guilt that she feels because of her father's abuse.

"Astrid…?!" Hiccup asks more insistently, sitting up and gently pushing her away from him, just far enough so he can look at her face more easily. "What's wrong?" He asks with concern, holding her by her arms.

The girl shakes her head. "Nothing," she answers quickly, frowning slightly as she struggles to make eye contact with him. "I just…I hurt myself when I was practicing with my axe," she quickly says, struggling to come up with a plausible story.

Hiccup furrows his brow as he clearly doubts her words. "How did you hurt your side while practicing with your axe?" he challenges.

She hesitates for a moment, then answers, "Well, I was…practicing in the woods, trying to do a back summersault while I threw my axe. I didn't watch where I was going. There was…a fallen tree in my way and I hit that on my way down."

Hiccup frowns, eyeing her with a very skeptical gaze. The girl starts to panic inside. She hates lying to this boy that she loves, but she just can't bring herself to share her shame with him.

Suddenly Hiccup looks at her all the more intently, his eyes leaving hers to study her neck. She's about to say something when he leans in and looks closely at her throat in the moonlight. Astrid closes her eyes, sighing in resigned frustration as she realizes what he must have noticed. Swallowing heavily, she fights back the tears as she waits for his inevitable question.

"Astrid, why are there bruises on your neck?" he asks with grave concern. He hadn't noticed them at first because they are very faint, but now that he has a good view in the bright moonlight, he can very clearly see the discolored marks that encircle her throat.

Her heart sinks at his words. She hadn't thought to cover up her neck after her father had choked her, having quickly put the whole business out of her mind as soon as her mother knocked out the brute and they dragged his stinking, unconscious body to his bed.

Of course there were marks. What had she been thinking to ignore that?

The girl keeps her eyes closed as she feels her boyfriend pull back enough to look at her again. She doesn't dare open her eyes. If she were to look at him, she has no doubt she'd break down into a fit of tears.

That alone annoys her as much as the whole Gods-damned situation.

"Astrid," he says in a whisper. "Look at me."

She shakes her head firmly.

"It's nothing, Hiccup," she tells him, struggling to keep her voice level.

Silence.

She feels his hand upon her face and gasps, shivering at his gentle touch.

"Astrid, please," he whispers tenderly. She can feel his breath spill over her face, he's so close.

She shakes her head again even as her resolve falters, pulling away from his hand and forcing herself to open her eyes. Her heart contracts at the sympathetic look of concern on his face, at the love she sees in his eyes.

Setting her jaw, she says firmly, "It's nothing." She flinches at the hurt she sees upon his face at her words.

"Astrid, you didn't get those bruises on your neck by practicing with your axe. Someone was choking you," He asserts with a stern yet caring voice, frowning and furrowing his brow.

The girl panics inside. She has no idea how to cover this one up.

"Look, it doesn't concern you," she blurts out unthinkingly. She just wants this whole thing to go away. She wants to curl back up in Hiccup's arms again and forget the whole business.

Hiccup's face grows cold at her words, though. He stares at her with a mixture of anger and pain that makes her cry inside.

"Is this how you show me how much you love me?" he asks coldly, the hurt laced deep in his voice, "by shutting me out when all I want to know is how you got hurt?!" She flinches as he throws her words back at her, swallowing heavily as he adds, "I'm worried about you, Astrid!"

The girl's heart surges as fear grips it. The air feels colder as Hiccup regards her with that icy stare. Her stomach turns as she wrestles with pushing him away further, or sharing her humiliation with him.

"Please, Hiccup," she pleads with him. "Please, just…just let it go, it's not important…"

He narrows his gaze at her, staring intently into her eyes. "Not important?!" he asks incredulously. "You're being hurt by someone!" he nearly shouts, then watches her intently for a few moments. She says nothing.

Hiccup looks at her in disbelief. "After everything I've shared with you, after all the trust I've given you…you can't do the same for me?" She swallows bitterly, his words stinging as they hit home. Shaking his head, he says, "Astrid, if you don't trust me that much, then…" he stops talking as he chokes on his words, fighting back his own tears. He tosses back the blanket and moves to reach for his crutch.

Astrid panics as he moves to go, crying out, "No!" She lunges, grabbing his arm to keep it from his crutch, pulling him back towards her. Angrily trying to tug away, the boy turns back to look at her with a hurt stare as she clutches at him. Then his brow furrows in surprise as he looks at her.

The girl realizes suddenly that tears are streaming down her face.

She grips his arm like an iron vice as he tries to pull away from her. Her chest clenches in terror as she realizes that she's about to lose him. Of course, there's no way he can overpower her, but he still pulls, trying to free himself from her grip. Hiccup says nothing, he merely watches her intently, his expression a mixture of frustration, anger, and pain.

Unable to look at him anymore, she closes her eyes and drops her head, finally realizing that she can't keep this from him and keep him at the same time.

It's one or the other.

"Hiccup," she starts to say, her voice immediately cracking. She stops talking, clearing her throat and swallowing heavily. "I'll…I'll tell you," she says in a broken voice.

At her words, Hiccup stops trying to pull away. After a moment, the girl's hands slowly fall to her sides.

"My…" she begins again but then stops, finding the words stuck in her throat. Drawing in a deep breath, she sighs in resignation and forces herself to look at him, staring intently into his eyes as the tears stream down her cheeks.

"My father hits me," she says resolutely, suddenly determined to just take whatever judgement he might have for her.

The lad's expression turns to one of shock at her words, looking at her now with compassion and concern.

"He hits you?" Hiccup asks in disbelief, his voice a hushed whisper. Domestic abuse is almost unheard of in Viking communities, given the rights that women have to divorce their husbands for such mistreatment. The boy can't remember ever hearing of such a case in Berk.

The tears continue to roll down Astrid's cheeks as she nods mutely at her boyfriend's question. The girl watches him, feeling humiliated. She can't find any more words, now that her secret is out.

Furrowing his brow in disbelief, Hiccup asks, "Does…does your mother know?"

Closing her eyes, Astrid nods again. She hesitates, then adds in a faltering voice, "sometimes he hits her, too…"

Shifting closer to her on the bedroll, the boy asks in a perplexed voice, "Why doesn't…why doesn't she just divorce him and take you away from that?"

Shrugging, Astrid looks down, unable to keep looking into his eyes. "She…she wants to, but…she…can't…" the girl says weakly, trying desperately to hold back the floodgate of tears. She feels sick inside, dirty. The girl has never shared this shameful fact with anyone, and it feels terrible to do so now.

If it were anyone but Hiccup, she realizes, she would have never said a word.

Furrowing his brow, the boy asks in disbelief, "Why can't she?"

"She just can't okay?!" Astrid snaps at him, her head whipping up to stare daggers at him as the anger roils up in her. Hiccup leans back in shock and she lashes out further, "if she could have, it would have been done years ago, when this all started! But…" She snaps her mouth shut, looking down again as her shoulders slump. "It's complicated, okay?"

His mind whirling, Hiccup asks, "Astrid, how much does he hit you? Is this every day?"

The girl sighs in exasperation as she looks into his eyes with a weary gaze, "Hiccup, enough, okay? You wanted to know, well…now you know…just," she hesitates, feeling exhausted. "Just…stop with the questions, will you?" The two look at each other in silence for the space of a few breaths before Astrid lowers her gaze, unable to keep looking at the sympathy and concern written across her face.

The boy looks at her with amazement. He never expected this, and isn't sure what to do or say to make it better for her. His heart aches at the knowledge he now possesses, and he feels powerless to help her.

Then it occurs to him.

Maybe his father can help her.

"Astrid," he says cautiously, reaching out to touch her arm. She doesn't even look at him. "Maybe my Dad can-"

"NO!" Astrid cries, her head snapping up as she looks at him with a terrified and furious gaze. The boy again jumps, once more shocked by her reaction.

Swallowing, she draws a deep breath and says passionately, "Hiccup, nobody else can know." Hiccup furrows his brow in shock and disbelief at her words, slowly shaking his head. She grabs his arm with both hands as she sits up and leans towards him.

"Hiccup, please! I only told you because I don't want to lose you!" she says, the emotion swelling up in her voice again as she remembers the terror she felt at him pulling away from her. The boy furrows his brow, watching her with a confounded expression. "You can't tell another soul! Not our friends, not Gobber, not your father, not anyone!" She stares at him with an intense gaze while she clutches at his arm so tightly that it hurts him.

"Promise me, Hiccup, please!" she begs, her eyes filling with tears again. "Not a word, to anyone!"

The boy furrows his brow, his own tears starting to form. "Astrid," he says. "You're the woman I love, and you're asking me to do _nothing_ when you're being hurt…?!"

"I'm okay, Hiccup," she insists, loosening her grip yet still clutching at his arm. "I love you, and it's so sweet that you're worried for me, but I'm fine, it's nothing…"

Hiccup looks at her with shocked disbelief. "Astrid, you are not fine! Do I need to show you the bruises on your neck?!" The girl looks down at his words. "How bad is that bruise on your side?!" he asks pointedly, reaching forward with his other hand to caress her cheek, trying to pull her gaze back up to his.

The girl resists, tugging away from his hand, yet still gripping his one arm with her hands. "Hiccup, you wanted to know why I have these bruises, well now you know," she spits at him bitterly, lifting her head to look back up at him with a hard and determined gaze. "But I'm begging you now, don't share this with anyone."

He sighs, pleading with her, "Astrid, I just want to help you. I…I need to help you. Please, just let me tell only my father…"

She grips his arm all the more firmly, shaking her head resolutely. "NO," she says harshly, staring intently into his eyes.

He furrows his brow, watching her guardedly. "What if I do…?" He asks.

The girl sets her jaw. Her heart clenches as she steels herself for what she says next.

"Then you and I are through," she says plainly.

Hiccups eyes grow wide at her words, his jaw hanging slack. "Astrid," he says, his voice pleading as his face twists with fear and sadness.

"I mean it, Hiccup," she says. "Promise me you'll never tell another soul. You take this with you to your grave, or we're done."

The boy's eyes fill with tears as he says weakly, "but I…just want to help you…"

The sight of it breaks her heart, and she feels her eyes burning yet again. "I know," she says tenderly, reaching up to caress his cheek, "and I love you for it, I really do. But I'm fine, Hiccup," she assures him. "You can't do anything here…" The boy closes his eyes as she strokes his cheek, tears streaming down his cheeks as the battle rages within him.

Terrified at the choice he might make, Astrid leans in and brushes her lips against his. He looks at her with surprise as she pulls back just enough to look into his eyes, her hand sliding down to stroke over his neck, holding him where his neck joins his shoulder.

"Hiccup," she begins, staring into his eyes as she speaks to him with a tender, passionate voice. "Hiccup, you spoke of trust, before. Well, now I've put my trust in you by sharing this secret. Nobody else knows except me, my mother, and my father. Not one more soul can find out." He looks back at her, his own gaze wet with tears. The girl can still see the uncertainty in his eyes. With her free hand, she takes one of his hands, entwining her fingers with his and holding him tightly.

She doesn't want to risk losing him, so she adds in a loving whisper, "The only way you can help me is to marry me, or run off with me." She smiles at him weakly as she strokes her hand upon his neck up to caress the side of his head, running her fingers into his hair. "Take me away from him, and he'll never lay another hand on me again."

The boy closes his eyes tightly, struggling with his decision to the last.

Astrid's heart twists in agony, the terror clutching at her as she's sure that he's made the choice that would take him away from her.

"Please…" she begs, her voice choking as she holds back tears. She squeezes his hand in hers, while gripping the side of his head firmly.

The boy swallows heavily, breathing a ragged sigh.

Astrid holds her breath as she waits for him to speak.

"I promise," he says, and she cries out with a ragged sigh of relief, throwing her arms around his neck, squeezing him to her. To her surprise, the boy grabs her arms and pulls her off of him, pushing her back to stare into her eyes.

"I promise not to tell another soul," he says resolutely, his gaze burning into hers, "unless I think your life is in danger." Astrid looks back at him with wide eyes, swallowing heavily at his amendment to the oath she wanted him to take, suddenly feeling unsettled.

She shakes her head and opens her mouth to protest, but he cuts her off.

"Astrid, there's nothing I love in this world more than you," he explains sternly. "I can't bear the thought of anyone hurting you, especially your own father." He grips her arms tightly as he barrels on, his voice becoming ragged the more he speaks. "It burns me inside to make this promise to you at all, but if he were to kill you, or do you real harm while I kept your secret…" He stops, his voice choking on his emotion. Closing his eyes, he lowers his head, trying to get control of himself.

Astrid winces, hurting inside at the pain she sees on his face. She wants to hold him, but he grips her arms with surprising strength.

He looks back up at her, tears falling from his eyes, "I could never live with myself if that happened, Astrid," he says with such intensity that she knows he speaks the literal truth. She swallows heavily, tears coming to her own eyes.

"So I'll keep your secret because you begged me to, but if I think for one moment that your life hangs in the balance, then I'll tell anyone and everyone that I think can help save you," he says with a ragged voice. "I don't care if you break up with me and never want to see me again afterwards…at least then you'll be safe, you'll be alive…" his voice crumbles as he starts to break down in tears.

His hands fall from her arms, releasing her as he slumps. Astrid immediately crawls into his arms, wrapping hers about his waist as she starts to sob along with him. She presses her lips to his as they weep together. The girl feels his arms wrap tightly about her as he kisses her back firmly. Against his lips she breathes a ragged sigh of relief as all her emotions come pouring out of her.

She breaks the kiss to bury her face in his shoulder, clinging to him as she sobs against him. Hiccup clutches her to him, squeezing her in his arms as tightly as she holds him, weeping along with her.

Toothless' Cove echoes with the sounds of the two young lovers crying together for some time into the night, the moon moving a fair distance before the place is silent once more.


	15. Chapter 15

Hiccup and Astrid sit together on the bedroll, wrapped up in a fierce embrace, burying their faces in each others' necks. The two of them had been crying for a while, though now they hold each other tightly in complete silence, save for the occasional half sob from one or the other as they both slowly settle down.

Astrid is the first to move, gently pulling away from him, but only enough to look at his face. The boy does likewise, and the two stare at each other wordlessly with red-rimmed eyes.

After a few moments, the girl leans in hesitantly. She pauses, waiting to see if Hiccup pulls away. He doesn't move, except that his arms tighten about her a little.

Leaning in the rest of the way, Astrid touches her lips hesitantly against his. She's nervous beyond reason that he'll reject her, but to her relief, he leans in and kisses her lovingly.

The girl had thought that she was done with crying, but tears start to roll down her cheeks as his lips press against hers. She whimpers against him, squeezing him tightly in her arms again as her kisses quickly become more urgent, more demanding.

Hiccup answers in kind, running his hands over her back, though he's careful to avoid that spot on her side that started everything. Their kiss quickly becomes more intimate as the two young lovers desperately cling to one another, their tongues entwining while they start to moan softly together.

Astrid's heart sing with joy as she feels the passion in Hiccup's kisses.

She's relieved beyond measure. She had been worried that he would reject her, in spite of the words that he had spoken to her when he made his promise. What he said had amazed her, and again reminded her of how much he loves her.

But still she had felt uncertain.

Unknown to everyone, her confidence has its limits, and it crumbles altogether where her father's abuse was concerned. She was absolutely terrified that when she told Hiccup about how her father hit her that he wouldn't want anything more to do with her. The shame she feels from her father's abuse made her certain that he would be disgusted by the whole business.

So, as she thinks on Hiccup's words again, she decides that she'd never actually leave him if he did tell anyone her secret, for any reason.

But she'll never tell him that.

As their kisses become more passionate, more hungry, Astrid lays back and gently pulls Hiccup down with her to lay upon the bedroll. The boy readily moves with her, pulling the blanket back over both of them as he rests half atop of her, partly leaning his weight upon her body. She sighs contentedly, happy to feel the weight of his body press down upon her once more. Her hands move up his back to stroke over the back his neck and head, then she entwines her fingers into his hair as she kisses him eagerly.

"I love you, Hiccup," she whispers huskily between kisses. Her words make him shiver as he snuggles against her all the more, pressing his lips against hers passionately, his tongue wrestling with hers.

"I love you too, Astrid," he answers with an emotional voice against her lips then kisses her once more, lingering for a while before pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. He smiles at her, stroking her face tenderly. Both of them stare intently at each other, neither sure of what to say next.

Afraid that Hiccup will start asking about her secret again, Astrid breaks the silence. "So, I…I found out what happened between Vali and my father," she says with a leading voice, watching him intently for his reaction with a slight smile.

As she had hoped, Hiccup looks at her with wide eyes, surprised by her the sudden topic change and excited by her tantalizing tone.

"You did?" he asks eagerly, which brings a smile to her lips. "Well…what happened?" he asks, sounding frustrated at her silence as she watches him mutely with a growing smile.

She pauses for a moment, sitting up again while watching him get flustered as he waits for her answer. He sits up with her, furrowing his brow as she continues to hold her tongue.

After a moment more, she grins widely and relents.

"My father said the wedding is off…Vali's price was too low…!" she says excitedly. Hiccup's jaw drops in excitement as he smiles from ear to ear. He laughs in excited jubilation and throws his arms around Astrid, leaning back as he hugs her, half lifting her off of her behind. The girl squeals excitedly in his embrace as she squeezes him in her arms tightly, happy beyond words.

Setting Astrid back down on the bedroll, Hiccup looks at her with a wide grin. "Oh Gods, Astrid, this is great!" he says enthusiastically.

His girlfriend nods eagerly, smiling at him from ear to ear. "I know!" she says, her voice bursting with joy. "Now your father can write up a contract for us to marry!"

All of her excitement fades as she watches Hiccup's expression fall and his shoulders slump at her words.

"Your father _will_ make an offer to my Dad for us to be married, won't he?" she asks with a worried voice.

Hiccup hesitates as he furrows his brow, causing Astrid's gut to start twisting anxiously.

"Hiccup?" she asks urgently, furrowing her brow at his uncertainty.

"I…I don't think so," he says anxiously, watching her with a worried expression.

"What do you mean you don't think so?!" she asks loudly, stunned.

Hiccup sighs in frustration, "Last night when we were talking, Dad said he couldn't just offer your Dad a contract because he'd never sign it." Astrid furrows her brow as she watches Hiccup with an increasingly angry gaze. The boy goes on, "Your Dad forbade you to see me. He doesn't want us together, and Vali's lowball offer doesn't change that…"

Hiccup pauses for a moment as he feels like he just said something his father would. The corner of his mouth flicks in a slight grin, but Astrid's next outburst quickly brings him back to the here and now.

"Well what in the Gods' names was this all for, then?!" she cries out in angry frustration. "What's the point of all this if we don't get married at the end of it?!"

Hiccup winces at her words. He feels the same frustration she does, but he has the benefit of his father's speech to give him confidence. The boy realizes that Astrid has no such benefit.

"Astrid," he says in a cautious tone, "My Dad told me…"

"He told you that he knows what you want, and what will make you happy," she finishes for him, her voice bitter and full of frustration. "I know, you told me that last night," she spits furiously, staring at Hiccup with a sharp glare as she crosses her arms.

The boy sighs in helpless frustration. "Astrid, I know it's frustrating, I'm upset too," he insists, leaning in a little as he puts his hand on her thigh, the blanket still covering her naked lower half. "I'm sure my Dad is going to make sure that you and I will get married, we just need to be patient and let him fix things for us…"

Huffing irritably, Astrid barks back, "Fine," she says. "How's he going to do it?"

Her boyfriend hesitates at her question, feeling helpless at his inability to give her the answer.

"I…I don't know," he confesses.

"Well that's just great!" she snarls, tossing her hands up in frustration. "What makes you so sure that he's going to be able to pull this off, Hiccup!?" she asks sharply while staring at him with a penetrating gaze.

Sighing, Hiccup answers wearily, "because he told me he knows how to play these games…"

"Games?!" Astrid exclaims, looking at him with wide eyes, "What, are you and I just chess pieces to him?!" she asks loudly, gesturing to them both as she talks.

Scowling in frustration, Hiccup answers sharply, "No, Astrid. Dammit, you know what I meant," he says insistently.

"No, really, I don't," she answers quickly, crossing her arms again.

"Astrid, my Dad's been chief for a long time," he says insistently, trying his best to be patient as he starts to get frustrated at her hostile responses. "He knows how to arrange matters in the tribe so that the right thing happens," he says. "A lot of being a chief is being able to delicately handle people and situations to avoid quarrels and fights, while still getting to the right end," he explains.

The boy sits back and blinks in surprise as he again hears his father's words in his own mouth.

Once more, however, Astrid's scathing reply swiftly disrupts his retrospection.

"How do you know your father even wants us to be married?" she challenges him. "Did he tell you that's what he's trying to do?"

Hiccup shakes his head. "No," he says, "he told me…"

"I know what he told you," she says, "you keep reminding me," she rebukes him sharply. Hiccup frowns bitterly at her interruption.

"Well let me tell you what my father told me," she says with a scowl as Hiccup furrows his brow in concern. "He told me this morning that Stoic gave his word that he would forbid you from seeing me!" Her voice rises to a shout as she stares daggers at him.

Frowning as he crosses his arms, Hiccup answers sharply, "Yes, he did," he admits indigantly. "But I'm here anyway, aren't I?" he asks.

Rolling her eyes, Astrid snaps back, "Hiccup, I'm not doubting your commitment to me! I'm saying that maybe your father isn't even interested in us getting married!"

"Astrid, that's exactly what he wants," the boy insists as he raises his own voice in frustration.

Uncrossing her arms and waving her hands in front of her, she barks back, "Hiccup, he forbade you to see me, just like my father forbade me to see you!"

Exasperated, Hiccup throws up his own hands and looks up, "Gods! Astrid, that's WHY he told me not to see you! Because your father told you not to, and then asked my Dad to do the same!"

"Maybe, maybe not," she answers with a frustrated voice, "but it sure doesn't look to me like your Dad wants to see us together anymore than mine does!"

Sighing heavily, Hiccup pinches the bridge of his nose as he again insists, "Yes, he does, Astrid. He very much likes the idea of us being together. He's told me that more than once."

Narrowing her gaze at him, she asks pointedly, "Was that before or after he told you not to see me again?"

"Before," Hiccup answers as he rubs his hand over his eyes, then over his face.

"Well, maybe he changed his mind, then!" she answers sharply, frowning bitterly.

"No, he didn't," Hiccup says with certainty, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. The boy feels like one great big knot of tension. He isn't used to this kind of arguing. Inwardly, he wonders if this will always be a part of life with Astrid.

"Prove it," Astrid demands, staring sharply at him.

"Fine," Hiccup says, dropping his hand to his side and staring back at Astrid with a frustrated gaze. "Last night? After Dad almost caught you in my bedroom?" he starts, almost smirking when the girl's expression changes to one of surprise at his words and her cheeks flush a slight pink at the mention of the near disaster.

"I thought everything was fine, that we had gotten away with it…" He pauses for a moment, watching as Astrid's brow furrows with worry at his phrasing, and he's unable now to hold back a slight smirk. He savors the moment, then goes on to say, "But just as he was closing the door, he ducked back in and said to me, and I quote, 'son, the next time Astrid sneaks over to have fun, try to be a bit more quiet. I'd like to get a proper night's sleep.' Then he winked at me and closed the door behind him."

Astrid's face and neck goes a deep scarlet, all the way down to her shirt at his words as she stares at him with wide eyes, her jaw dropping. She quickly closes her eyes and covers her face with her hands, whimpering with a shaking voice, "Oh Gods…"

"Yeah," he says, also blushing. "So, I don't think we need to worry about my Dad not being in favor of you and me." With those words, he pauses to wait for his girlfriend to recover from the revelation that Stoic not only knew that she had snuck over, but that he also knew well enough what the two of them had been doing.

"Oh, Gods," Astrid again laments. "I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my life," she says with a heavy sigh.

Chuckling, Hiccup tells her sardonically, "Yeah, well, just you wait…I'm sure you and I are in for plenty of more of that in the days ahead…" She looks at him with a horrified expression. He grins and shrugs while holding up his hands defensively. "I don't know of anything specific coming, but how much have we had to be embarrassed about in just the last two days?"

With that, she hesitates, then chuckles once as she smirks while nodding in agreement.

"Good point," she admits, sighing. She watches him quietly with a sardonic grin for a moment or two.

"Well, Hiccup, you are lucky I am so very much in love with you," she tells him, smirking as he lifts an eyebrow. "Because I wouldn't put up with all this crap for anyone else…"

The boy grins at her explanation, chuckling slightly. "Yeah, well…it's all worth it to me," he says with a shrug.

Smiling warmly at her boyfriend, Astrid answers, "Me too." She sighs heavily, looking down at his hands resting upon the bedroll. Reaching over, she takes one in her hand, saying, "So…what do we do now?"

With a sigh of his own, Hiccup answers with a shrug, "I guess we wait," he says, moving to entwine his fingers with hers as he holds his hand tightly. "Dad said to trust him…"

Astrid hesitates, then nods and glances at him. "Okay, I can do that," she says with a sigh. "I just wish there was something we could do to help make it happen…"

Shaking his head as he meets her gaze, he tells her, "Dad warned me not to interfere or do anything to get in the way. He was very clear about that."

Sighing again, Astrid nods. "I wish we knew what his plan is…"

Squeezing her hand firmly, Hiccup answers with a sigh, "so do I." He pauses, then tells her, "I tried to get it out of Gobber today, but that salty old dog wasn't budging an inch…" Both teens smirk at the mention of the wizened smith. "He just repeated Dad's warning to stay out of the way…"

Nodding sullenly, she replies, "I get it…but…it'd be easier to be sure we're right, that Stoic's trying to make it happen…" She glances down, adding unthinkingly, "Mom and I paid the price tonight, for Vali's news to my Dad about what you and I did back on the island, yesterday…"

Hiccup's eyes grow wide at her words, his face going pale as his jaw falls slack. "Oh Gods," he says weakly, his grip on her hand slackening, "that's why you have those bruises…"

Looking up at Hiccup, Astrid shakes her head. "Hiccup, it's fine," she says softly. He furrows his brow at her words, shocked. She sighs and explains, "If he didn't have that to hit me for, it would have been something else," she explains with a shrug. Hiccup looks at her with a pained expression, his eyes filled with worry and care for her.

The girl shrugs again. "That's just how my life is," she says in a resigned fashion. "You wanted to know," she adds, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice, then winces at the guillty look on his face.

"Astrid," the boy starts to say, hesitating as she watches him intently. "Astrid, I'm sorry I didn't respect your wishes, I shouldn't have pried…"

The girl cuts him off by throwing her arm around his neck and pulling him to her, pressing her lips firmly against his to kiss him passionately. Hiccup lets out a muffled yelp in surprise. He tries to pull away so he can continue speaking, but Astrid wraps her arm more tightly about his neck to keep him pressed against her lips.

She finally loosens her grip and he immediately pulls back and starts to talk again, but Astrid shushes him, quickly placing her finger over his lips. "Stop that," she whispers, staring into his eyes for a moment before adding, "It's…it's okay. You were worried about me."

She hesitates, then says further, "I'm…I'm glad you know…"

He looks at her with a concerned gaze, staring deeply into her eyes. After a few moments, he asks quietly, "are you sure?"

Without hesitation, she nods at him. "I'm sure, Hiccup," she says in a hushed whisper, feeling the emotion build up again. In truth, she's sick of this topic and wants to be done with it already. She's shed far too many tears for her liking. In the last two days she's wept more than she can remember for years before that.

She had long ago stopped crying when her father hit her. But where Hiccup was concerned, it seemed the floodgates were ready to open at any moment.

The boy looks at her apprehensively, worried by the uncertainty in her reaction and the aggravation he reads on her face. He says nothing more, and an awkward silence grows between them. She watches him intently as his worry grows with each passing moment while a measure of guilt gnaws more and more inside of her for being standoffish.

Hiccup opens his mouth again, then pauses, considering his words carefully.

"Asrid," he says hesitantly, "If…if you ever want to…talk…about what you're going through, I'd…be happy to just…listen…"

The girl draws a deep and somewhat ragged sigh, closing her eyes. "Hiccup, I am so done talking about it," she says, a little more firmly than she intended. Gritting her teeth as she hears her own words, she looks at him again and feels even more guilt hit her at the sight of his hurt expression.

She leans in and kisses him. The boy breathes out a sigh of relief at the touch of her lips, and when she pushes him gently onto his back, he willingly yields.

The girl kisses him for a while before she finally pulls back just enough to look at him. Caressing his face, she whispers quietly, "But…thank you, Hiccup."

The boy nods at her words, smiling faintly as he closes his eyes and leans into her hand.

Her heart clenches as she thinks about how harshly she just answered his offer of help, the memory of it compelling her to say, "Maybe…maybe someday I'll be ready to…to talk about it…"

Hiccup opens his eyes to look up at her eagerly, his lips blooming into a smile.

"Someday," Astrid quickly emphasizes again with a measure of firmness to her voice. This time, her tone doesn't phase the boy, rather he smiles at her all the more.

"I'll wait for as long as you need, Astrid," he says in a resolute whisper that she can't help but smile at, as they look into each others' eyes. She leans in to kiss him once more, then puts her head upon his chest, sighing happily as he starts to rub her back again while caressing her cheek with his other hand. She hugs him as she finally starts to relax after such a painful, emotional ride.

"I love you, Hiccup," she says quietly, happy to just listen to the beating of his heart. He squeezes her tightly in his arms and she feels like there's no other place in the world where she belongs.

"I love you too, Astrid," he tells her in a tender voice, his hand slowly moving over her back. The girl smiles widely at his words, relieved beyond measure that they've gotten past the sharing of her secret.

She sighs in contentment as she enjoys the feel of his arms wrapped tightly about her. The longer she lays there in the warmth of his nearness, snuggled up under the blanket with him, the harder she finds keeping her eyes open. She realizes they should get up soon and go home, but she doesn't want to part from him yet. Not after what they just went through.

She needs to savor his closeness just a little while longer. She needs to feel how he loves her by the way he holds her to him. Squeezing him happily, she sighs contentedly as he embraces her all the more tightly.

After several moments, her eyes drift close as she lingers in his arms, breathing in his scent that mingles with the smell of iron and ashes, which always clings to him after a day at the forge.

The rhythmic beating of his heart slowly lulls her into a deep sleep. Hiccup's eyes also flutter closed as he embraces the love of his life, a contented smile upon his lips.

The cove is silent save for the soft burble of the stream that runs through the pond. The two lovers both sleep soundly in each others' arms, cozy together in their embrace, the blanket that covers them keeping them warm together in the chill night air.


End file.
